Realisation
by edwalk86
Summary: Limping along the well-worn path through the forest, the young ninja stared straight ahead, his legs taking him along a preset path back home. Back to Konoha. Naru/Hina OCs will be used for some characters Action/Adventure/Drama/Romance Mature themes
1. Chapter 1: A Late Realisation Part 1

Edit 28/02/10 - I've just been going over the beginning chapters as I slowly work out the sequence of events for the next chapter and I've noticed a continuity error. It's nothing bad as no-one else has noticed it but I have to change it now that I've seen it. I will not detail the error cause I'm a little embarrassed by it, especially considering the praise I have received for how well-written this story is, just know that it's fixed and it's all good :D

Edit 13/01/10 - I've made some minor changes to the first two chapters again, fixing grammar and paragraph structure, so the story moves a bit better.

After dong some more writing for this story, and reading the feedback I've gotten for this, I'm gonna make a few changes. Firstly, a brief background. This is a couple of years after the current actual manga timeline and story. No description on ages or other things that may have occured cause I don't think my story needs it. Just know that Akatsuki are still after Naruto, and Naruto is still chasing Sasuke. People who are dead in the manga story are dead in my story, and things have progressed the way I want them to progress.

Also some confusion has arisen in regards to this chapter and the next as to which goes first. Sorry, my bad, I didn't think of that problem at the time, but now that it's been mentioned I can see where the confusion may be. As this story is written that is the order it goes in. If it seems like a following chapter goes back to a place before a previous chapter and it's not a flashback, it is written that way so as to give another perspective or give more info on something that has happened or has yet to happen. Sorry again for the confusion. I will also be making grammatical correction as I go, but will welcome any corrections from readers. Oh, and lengths of chapters will vary according to how I write the scene. I know it sucks to only get a small dose of story sometimes, but I ask that the people who read this remain patient with me in regards to this. I will update as often as I can.

I also realise I write slightly differently to others, so when characters are speaking observe the following:

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_'Thinking current tense'_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter 1: A Late Realisaton - Part 1

'_I guess I'm destined to fail after all.'_

Limping along the well-worn path through the forest, the young ninja stared straight ahead, his legs taking him along a preset path back home. Back to Konoha.

As he stumbled along the road, the ninja felt every muscle in his body ache, every injury scream at him from different parts of his body. While he was dressed in standard ninja attire, now he looked more like a walking corpse.

His right arm was cradled against his body, held in place by a makeshift sling from the sleeve of his jacket, blood from a deep gash hiding the broken bone rendering the appendage useless. Several bruises and deep cuts also ran along his front torso to his left arm, which he could still thankfully use, while three broken ribs made it difficult to breathe.

And with each step pain shot through the corresponding leg, bruises and cuts aggravating the problem, while a steady stream of blood ran down his left leg, leaving a trail an inexperienced genin could follow in the dark blindfolded.

Blinking away the blood blinding his vision in his right eye, the left swollen shut and unusable for the time being, the ninja focused on the familiar gates several hundred metres from his current position from within the tree line of the forest.

'_I made it.'_

Continuing on, his feet shuffling one in front of the other, his body on automatic due to exhaustion, the young man thought back on the last couple of days as he neared his destination.

He had been tracking his target for days. He and his team had survived two close calls with rogue ninjas out to collect the considerable bounty on their head, the last one leaving one of his team incapacitated. Then they found him. He was just standing there, like he had always been there, that spot in the middle of the forest clearing just inside of Tea Country looking like it existed purely for him to occupy its space.

Unlike the first time they met on the battlefield, there was no cocky attitude from his opponent. Nor like the second time where every action he made screamed arrogance. This time there was just a blank stare, an air of indifference to the situation permeating the surrounding area. He knew better though.

As he stared into his opponents blank eyes, he could see the confidence, the anger, the need to fulfil his promise simmering with barely restrained fury just below the surface. Their fight had been one-on-one, his two teammates standing back to give them room.

'_It didn't turn out like it should have. '_

Lifting his head slightly as he continued his slow journey home, he came to a stop as the gates of Konoha slowly opened, his eyes settling on the two figures standing just beyond the threshold, their stance statuesque, like two silent gargoyles presiding over a castle wall.

Closing the distance as fast as he could while his body screamed at him for rest, he was soon inside the gates, standing in front of the two people waiting for him.

At first he simply stood there, his breathing ragged while he fought to stay standing as his body tried to collapse from under him. Then, slowly, he raised his head again, bringing his eyes at last into contact with the two silent guardians.

Looking at the woman on his right, he regarded her apprehensively as she stared at him with cold eyes, her body language showing how truly angry she was with his return. Shifting his gaze to his left, he was surprised to find the man he knew from when he was a mere genin was regarding him with a look of loathing and contempt, while his posture made it quite apparent that he was ready to take action at any moment.

Readjusting himself as he stood under the watchful eyes his two guardians, he took a moment to settle down, pushing aside the awkward feeling building in his stomach. He needed to do this, before he lost the will to do it. He needed to tell them what happened.

"Sakura, I'm..." Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of flesh hitting flesh resounded around the area as his head snapped sharply to the left from Sakura's open hand slapping him hard.

"Don't." interrupted Sakura as her right arm slowly lowered to her side. "Don't you dare say you're sorry. You don't get to say you're sorry." The words left Sakura's mouth with such quiet intensity that he was unsure what to do. Lifting her head up, he was further taken aback from the look she gave him, anger, contempt, loathing combined with tears just starting to form at the corners of her eyes, giving Sakura the look of someone not to be messed with.

"After all we've been through, after all that's been done to us, you think you can just come back and it will be fine? Well it won't. He's out there, instead of here because of you." Turning around, Sakura started to walk away from him.

"Wait, Sakura I..."

"Don't." Sakura said as she stopped at his voice. "Do you even know what you're doing here? What you are going to do here? You don't do you? It was a waste of time coming here, because nobody wants you anymore, especially me. So instead of trying to get sympathy out of me for your pathetic state, why don't you go talk to the one person that really matters in this and see if she is willing to listen to your crap."

Unable to believe what Sakura just said, he could only watch in shock as she continued to walk off down the street and out of sight.

"Well that went better than I expected." Turning at the voice of the other person standing watch, his face betrayed his shock as he watched Kakashi scratch the back of his head awkwardly due to the silence. "I was expecting to have to hold her off of killing you there for a second."

Staring blankly at his teacher, he quickly recomposed himself. "Look, I..."

"Save it, I'm not here to listen to your excuses either." interrupted Kakashi. "I'm here only to make sure Sakura didn't kill you, and to tell you to report to the Hokage immediately."

Looking into his teachers lone eye, he realised it was futile to talk any further. "I understand." He stated plainly as he started to move forward, only to have Kakashi hold up his hand to stop him.

"Not that it needs explaining, but you will not be travelling alone. Several Anbu squads will be watching you, and if you so much as sneeze funny, you will be executed on the spot." Finally looking at him with his lone eye Kakashi spoke the next words with a tone of voice he never heard before. "I would say I'm disappointed in you, but that would require that I actually care for you to some extent. Nor do I pity you. All I can say is that if you're looking for forgiveness by coming here, you won't find it, nor do you deserve it." With that done, Kakashi shunshined away.

Breaking out of his stupor from the words Kakashi said to him, he realised that the streets were empty, with all the windows and doors closed in every building. He was also aware of the sensation that he was being watched, so, not wanting to give anyone a reason to suspect him of added treachery, he started to walk down the street towards the Hokage Tower.

As he continued down the main thoroughfare, he began to pick up movement in the buildings surrounding him. At first it was the sensation of knowing there were people in the buildings watching him, scrutinising him and every action he made. Then he started to hear the hushed remarks being made about him as he passed the buildings.

"I can't believe it."

"Well would you look at that."

"The bastard came back."

"Arrogant prick."

"Dickhead should have stayed away."

"What do you think the Hokage will do?"

"Who knows?"

"I'll tell you what I would do."

"What?"

"Slit his throat."

"Why haven't they arrested him?"

"Look at him, injured and near death."

"You think he wants sympathy?"

"He doesn't deserve it."

"Yeah, he's been nothing but a pain."

"Little shit should just go kill himself."

"That'd saved us some trouble wouldn't it?"

He continued to hear similar comments the whole way to the tower til he finally made it inside the doors which promptly shut behind him.

"I see you finally made it." Walking up to him from the shadows of the empty reception area, Shizune looked him up and down before motioning with an arm to follow her to the far side of the room where an elevator was already waiting.

Getting in, he stood at the back of the elevator, using the wall to support himself, while Shizune pressed the button for the top floor. Shuddering to life, the elevator ascended smoothly, while Shizune kept her back to him the entire time. Then, just before he could speak, it stopped, and Shizune stepped out of the elevator and into the lit hallway.

"Follow me." Moving quickly out of the elevator and into the hallway in an attempt to keep up with her, he racked his brain for a way to speak to Shizune in order to get some information out of her about what was happening.

"We're here." Broken from his thoughts, he stood there staring blankly at her til he realised what she just said.

"Ummm..."

"The Hokage is inside waiting for you." Opening the door, Shizune stared at him til he moved forward and over the threshold into the Hokage's office. He froze. The pair of eyes looking at him had him so transfixed that he didn't even register the door being closed and locked behind him. They were full of pure hatred.

"So he returns." The intensity of the words and amount of killer intent coming from the woman seated behind the desk positioned in the centre of the room froze him, causing his breathing to become shallow and his body to stagger.

Then it was gone and he was able to recompose himself slightly. That was when he noticed the second person in the room, standing to the left of the Hokage's desk, her back facing him. Studying her quickly to ascertain her identity, he noticed two things that made her stand out. First was her long straight midnight blue hair. The second was that her body was shuddering, but only a small amount that if you weren't a trained ninja you wouldn't notice it.

Clearing her throat, the Hokage drew his attention back to her. "So I take it from your current state that your mission was a failure?" Nodding, he watched as the Hokage stood up and walked around the desk to stand in front of it.

"And I take it that after walking through the village you're wondering what is going to happen to you?" He nodded again.

"Well what do you plan to do about the situation to fix it?" Dumbstruck by her question, he couldn't believe it. Was she, offering him a chance to fix this?

"I... I want to fix this, to make things right."

"I see," Looking to the person beside her desk, the Hokage then turned back to him. The smirk she had on her face was that of a hunter catching its prey.

"Well, unfortunately you haven't convinced me. However, it's not me you have to convince." Moving back behind her desk and sitting down, the Hokage continued. "You see, the only reason you're here right now instead of a dark cell with Ibiki and his interrogation squad is because I was convinced to let you come here by this woman." at this the Hokage pointed to her unnamed guest. "So if you want to make things right I'd talk to her."

At this the mysterious woman slowly turned around revealing herself to him. Her beauty left him awestruck as she stood there in a simple white kimono with a light flower pattern, her long, midnight blue hair elegantly trailing down her back and framing her flawless face and skin that made her seem like an angel. But it was her eyes that had his complete attention. They were pure white with a hint of purple, and contained a myriad of emotions that danced beneath her calm exterior fighting for control.

"Do you know who I am Uchiha Sasuke?" Shaking his head, Sasuke tried to keep his composure as stress from his wounds and the venom of her voice when she spoke his assaulted him.

"No, I do not."

"I am Hyuuga Hinata, heir of the Hyuuga clan. Do you know why I'm here?"

Shaking his head again, Sasuke answered in the negative. "I do not know why you are here Lady Hyuuga."

A small smile graced Hinata's lips for a brief second and then was gone.

"That's good. I'm glad to see you at least know how to act properly given the situation." Taking a step forward, Hinata continued. "I am here because my fiancé, Namikaze Naruto, was betrayed by you, leading him to chase you around the country, only to be defeated and then handed over to the Akatsuki, where he is now being held so he can have the Kyuubi extracted from him, which will cause his death."

Taking another step forward, she continued. "And you're here because not only do you have knowledge of how Akatsuki operates, but you also wish to redeem yourself given that you not only betrayed your village, but also the one person who gave his life for you."

Taking one more step forward, Hinata now stood in front of Sasuke. "From the moment you walked into Fire Country, your life has been in my hands. You only breathe here now because I wish it, because there's a slim chance you may be of some use to me. Do you want to be of use to me?"

"Yes, Lady Hyuuga." With those words, Hinata's eyes became hard and her voice became ice.

"Good, then you will be of use to me. You will now swear a blood oath stating your allegiance to me, and that you will do everything in your power to help me rescue Naruto, even if that means giving your own life in the process. With this act, you may be able to redeem yourself and your clan from dark abyss it has fallen into. Will you do this?"

As Sasuke nodded affirmatively the Hyuuga heir revealed a kunai and pricked her left index finger. Noting that Sasuke couldn't use his right arm to perform the same act Hinata also cut Sasuke's left index finger as he raised his left hand to her. Then, once Hinata finished drawing the seal on the back of Sasuke's left hand, Sasuke used that same hand to draw a seal on his exposed skin over his heart.

"I, Uchiha Sasuke, do hereby swear an allegiance to Hyuuga Hinata, to do everything in my power to protect her and to rescue Namikaze Naruto, alive, from the Akatsuki, on pain of my death if I should fail in either of my duties." Finishing the oath, the seal flashed then disappeared from his skin.

Kneeling down slowly as his injuries racked his body from the sudden movement, Sasuke bowed his head to the woman standing in front of him, as she allowed a small smile to grace her lips.

"I am yours to command, Lady Hyuuga."

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Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 1: A Late Realisation Part 2

Edit 13/01/10 - I've made some minor changes to the first two chapters again, fixing grammar and paragraph structure, so the story moves a bit better.

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_'Thinking current tense'_

This is fanifc, I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 1: A Late Realisation - Part 2

'_That idiot better hope he's not dead.'_

Hyuuga Hinata stood silently, looking out the window of the Hokage's office, scanning the city of Konoha as her mind continued to go over the events of the last few days.

It had all started innocently enough. Five days ago she found herself with two days off between missions, while her fiancé, Naruto, had just returned from a solo s-rank mission and was given a few days break by the Hokage.

Their time together had been limited since they announced their engagement five months prior, so, naturally they wanted to spend it together. Hinata just wanted to spend some time alone with her husband-to-be, cooped up inside their apartment being naughty. Naruto, however, wanted to spend the time outdoors, and knowing that she'd rather be indoors, acted like a casanova and convinced her to go on a date with him. She couldn't say no to his smile.

Their date consisted of some shopping in the morning, followed by a picnic in the park. After that they got into some mischief, pranking several civilians and ninja's, and then got into trouble when they were caught in the middle of a heavy make-out session by a class of students, and a very irate Iruka, on academy grounds. They ran all the way back to their apartment and once they made it inside, collapsed in a fit of laughter that lasted for several minutes.

Hinata was the first to get up, wiping tears from her eyes from how hard she laughed, and made her way to the kitchen to prepare something to eat for dinner. Naruto had other ideas. As she was just going to open the fridge, he appeared beside her in a flash, his left hand firmly keeping the door closed as he used his right hand to cup her chin, angling it up towards his own, stealing a kiss while their eyes remained locked.

"_I'll make you something special my hime." _With that husky tone in his voice, Hinata knew she was in for a treat.

Several hours later, they both collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily as sweat glistened their naked bodies, several objects broken and the sheets strewn about the room from their passionate love-making.

A small smile graced Hinata's lips at that memory as she continued staring out over Konoha. '_He sure knows how to make a girl feel special.'_

Hearing the soft clink of the empty sake bottle on the hardwood that made up the Hokage's desk, Hinata stole a quick side-glance at the woman seated behind it. Tsunade was currently on her second bottle of sake, the first being a warm-up to the second that would undoubtedly help her deal somewhat with the current predicament.

Hinata couldn't really blame her. Tsunade was getting older, not matter what her outside appearance led people to believe. However, lately her age had been really starting to show, with the biggest indicator being the gradual slipping of her famous henge.

Tsunade was getting too old for the top job, but she wasn't about to step down until the person she had decided on to replace her was ready. So she stayed as Hokage, running Konoha in the interim. Unfortunately her replacement was not ready, and to make matters worse, he was currently missing. Watching Tsunade drink another cup of sake, a sorrowful expression adorning her face as the liquid passed her lips, Hinata turned back to the window as some birds flew by.

'_If only you could see what you're doing to her Naruto, you'd hurry back no matter what.' _She wasn't sure why she thought Tsunade needed him more than her, Hinata just knew that if he didn't make it back soon, many people, Tsunade included, would be adversely affected. Needless to say, he had slowly gone from outcast to the very heart and soul of Konoha, depending on who you asked, and to lose him now would be devastating.

Hinata knew though, that no matter how hard she tried to think of the well-being of others in the current situation, she just couldn't help but think selfishly. She knew she shouldn't be ashamed to be thinking only of herself in response to Naruto being missing, however, she kept returning to troubles of other.

No doubt it had something to do with his own selfless actions for the village and its people rubbing off on her, making her feel obliged to take up his mantle in his absence. That's not to say Hinata didn't care for the well-being of those she swore to protect, she just didn't take it to the same levels of Naruto.

'_Not until recently anyway.' _Naruto had affected her a great deal, Hinata realised, as her thoughts drifted over the last few months. Her confidence had increased, she had become more outgoing, and she noticed that she spoke her mind a lot more and let her actions reflect her true feelings. It had been troubling initially, especially when dealing with her family.

However, those instances were nothing compared now, as she continued to stand in the Hokage's office, anger once again taking control, her body shuddering as she tried to remain calm and focused.

'_What has that idiot done to me!' _For several moments her body shook, the need to destroy something slowly receding, while Tsunade started her third bottle. Finally calm, the heiress of the Hyuuga clan sighed, closing her eyes as she let her body slump slightly.

It had been rather unexpected when several months ago she noticed a slight change within herself. Initially it had been an odd feeling that would come and go depending on what time it was and where she was. Then it started becoming more constant, tormenting her for long periods throughout the day. It wasn't until the feeling was constantly nagging her that she decided to get it checked.

Tsunade gave her a perfect bill of health. The result was not a relief. Frustrated, she stormed back home to find Naruto on the sofa in the living room, having just returned from a mission. Later that night she noticed something. The strange feeling that had been assaulting her was gone. Putting two and two together, she quickly deduced that the feeling she had was a reaction to how close Naruto was to her.

When she brought it up to Naruto, he just smiled and said 'of course' like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Apparently he had been having the same feeling in relation to her and found out that because they were together they now had some sort of bond that let the other know how close they were, what they were feeling, and most importantly, the other's well-being. Naruto put it down to something that happened because of the fox being sealed in him.

The fact that he had kept this piece of information to himself for so long had angered her further. Needless to say, from that day on Naruto was a lot more forthcoming with information that concerned them both.

Straightening her posture as she continued her silent vigil, Hinata once again tried to use the connection she had with Naruto to find out if he was okay. For two days now, a dark empty feeling unlike anything she had experienced with her connection to Naruto had resided with her. She didn't like it. Hinata knew the feeling she had meant only one of two things. Either Naruto was in serious trouble, or he was dead.

It angered her like nothing she had ever experienced. Yesterday when she first had this feeling, she destroyed half the apartment before she calmed herself enough to go outside, where she opted instead to destroy several training grounds. Now she alternated between bouts of anger followed by calm as she tried to gain control of her warring emotions. Deep down she knew though that it wouldn't end til she knew Naruto was safe.

Turning her head slightly back towards the Hokage, Hinata watched as an Anbu appeared in a swirl of leaves, kneeling before the village leader's desk. "Hokage-sama, Uchiha Sasuke is now within sight of Konoha."

Putting down her empty cup of sake, Tsunade regarded the Anbu operative for a second. "Has he made any suspicious movements?"

"No Hokage-sama. Uchiha Sasuke has not made any suspicious or hostile movements. He has continued along the same path, making no deviations. He is also severely injured." Finishing the report, the lone Anbu waited patiently for Tsunade to respond.

"I see. Return to observing him. Inform Kakashi of his whereabouts and that Kakashi is to tell him to come straight here. Dismissed." Nodding, the Anbu disappeared in swirl of leaves while Tsunade poured herself another cup of sake.

Hinata watched the whole exchange, and was about to comment on Tsunade's excess of drinking when she was interrupted. "If you want to kill him, you can. I won't hold it against you." The casualness in Tsunade's voice shocked Hinata.

"I..."

"If you're worried about being arrested for murder, don't be. After all the Uchiha is a missing-nin. We're well within our rights to deal with him as we see fit, whether he surrenders willing or not." Having interrupted her again, Tsunade now put down her cup and turned to face Hinata, all signs of the binge-drinking session now gone from her body.

For several seconds Hinata and Tsunade stared at each other, both studying the other. "It pains me to say it, but I would like nothing better than to kill the Uchiha and be done with it." Her eyes still locked with Tsunade's, Hinata then turned back towards the window and gazed out over the village. Closing her eyes, Hinata then let a sigh escape her lips from the built-up tension.

"However, while the Uchiha is alive, he is of some use, and I will need every tool and advantage I can get if I am going to successfully rescue Naruto." Turning back towards to Hokage, Hinata's cold gaze locked with Tsunade's.

Shivering slightly from the intensity of Hinata's eyes, Tsunade swivelled her chair so that she was looking over her desk again, then proceeded to fill another cup with sake. "If that is what you want, then so be it Hinata." Taking a sip of her drink, Tsunade stole a quick side-glance at the heiress beside her. "I just hope you know what you're doing." Tsunade then downed the rest of her drink as silence filled the office.

'_I hope I do to, because Naruto may not forgive me.'_

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Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 1: A Late Realisation Part 3

First off, I've written a spiel in chapter 1 about some changes I'm making, so take the time (if you wish) as it addresses some issues raised to me. Secondly, as I was writing this chapter I noticed that I changed the way that I'm writing slightly, no doubt cause of other books I'm reading, and I quite like it, so expect future chapters to follow in the same way. I won't however be changing previous chapters as I like them and they still fit with the way I'm telling this story. Lastly I want to thank everyone who has given feedback on this story so far, especially **ravercozy **and** notgonnasay09 **who have provided some helpful hints and tips.

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_'Thinking current tense'_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 1: A Late Realisation - Part 3

'_What... what happened to me?'_

Naruto shifted his body as he started to wake up only to realise he couldn't move. Stopping for a second, he started to analyse the situation as his ninja training kicked in.

'_Okay, first of all, I don't know where I am. I have a dull pain throughout my body and I can't move. And there seems to be something cold underneath me, as well as cold sensations at my neck, wrists, waist and ankles.'_

Attempting to open his eyes, Naruto found the exercise hard. Then the nausea hit him. The pain in his head increased and all coherent thoughts left him, with his attempt at groaning, due to the pain, resulting in a suppressed gurgle as he found he could not open his mouth. Lying still for several minutes, the nausea left him, and Naruto found that he could think clearly again.

That's when it hit him - and odd feeling of déjà-vu. Not only did he feel that he had already gone through this process before, but that it had already happened several times. Trying to focus his mind, Naruto sought out the beginnings of his journey to this point. For minutes all he could conjure to his mind were muddied pictures and incoherent words. Then he realised he should start from the beginning. There was his village, Konoha. Tsunade-baa-chan who spoke to him of some mission. And Hinata. Hinata as she laid naked in bed, the thin sheet just barely covering her torso, and doing nothing to hide the curves of her beautiful body.

As quickly as Naruto thought of the image, it disintegrated into blackness, his mind's eye being assaulted by vibrant colours and ghostly images. Men and animals of various shapes and sizes attacked him, all vying for his attention, while colours spiralled and shot past him, exploding wherever he looked, obscuring his vision. And as Naruto struggled against the imaginary bonds that were being attached to him, trying to control what he was seeing, his attackers then started to wither and disappear, leaving their ghostly images to haunt him, while others merged with those around them so as to attack him further.

He now saw his closest friends and family, standing around the Hokage's desk, Tsunade sitting proudly behind it while the others were lined up in two rows leading up to the desk. He saw her stand up, lifting the Hokage's hat, her mouth speaking inaudible words while she gestured to him to take the hat in her hand. Moving forward, Naruto reached for the hat as a proud smile came to Tsunade's face.

As he touched the brim of the hat, it caught alight, the sudden fire making him quickly retract his hand. But that was not scared him the most. As he watched, Tsunade still kept hold of the hat, and as he yelled at her to drop it, she simply frowned at his reaction, words coming from her soundless mouth that he still could not hear. Screaming at her now to drop the hat, Naruto was even more horrified as the woman he thought of as his mother slowly retracted the hat and placed it on her head. For a few seconds she stood there, the burning hat atop her head as she continued speaking, Naruto in a panic as he quickly scanned the room for help, yet no-one moved from their spots. Then, as Tsunade finished speaking, fire consumed the whole room.

The desk, chairs, walls, curtains, pictures, plaques, souvenirs and knick-knacks, were all on fire, the room becoming a furnace as everything burned. Naruto screamed at Tsunade to help, at his friends to help, yet no-one made a move. All were staring at him, and each face was sorrowful. Turning around to run out of the room, the room dissolved again, only this time to be replaced by his team's old training grounds.

Tsunade was standing in front of him again, but this time Hinata, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Sakura, Iruka, Shikamaru and Sasuke were also standing around him. Relieved to see they made it out of the fire, Naruto stepped towards the Hokage only to jump back as Tsunade exploded into millions of tiny slugs, each one slithering off in different directions into the forest.

Turning to his teachers, Naruto watched as Jiraiya, Kakashi and Iruka turned pale, their faces rotting as life slowly left them, then they fell to the ground as their bodies became dust. Unable to comprehend what was happening, Naruto started to cry. Turning to Shikamaru, Naruto watched as the lazy ninja shrugged him off, then morphed his body into that of a deer, which turned and moved off into the forest.

Unable to fathom what was happening, Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and was spun around to face Sakura, who immediately started to yell at him. No words were heard, yet each movement of her mouth assaulted Naruto with a blast of air which battered him, until the air became rotten and pungent and Sakura's face turned inside out from the mouth to reveal a giant bird, its height towering over Naruto. The entire bird was pink, the same as Sakura's hair, with its eyes and beak being the same green as Sakura's eyes. Then it spread its enormous wings and took off into the darkness that now blanketed the area he was standing in.

Turning to the last two people standing near him, tears flowed freely from his eyes. Naruto didn't know why he was crying, just that he felt a great sense of loss, and now he sought comfort from the last two people he cared deeply for.

Sasuke and Hinata stood side by side looking at him with a deep sense of understanding. Feeling himself smile, he knew he could count on these two to help him, to give him the strength he needed in order to overcome his loss. That's when he saw it. Somehow the two had closed the distance between them and were now holding hands, their fingers interlocked. Shocked, Naruto looked up to Hinata, whose smile was so radiant it almost blinded him, then to Sasuke, who was now behind Hinata, embracing her, a smug smile on his face.

Unable to comprehend it all, Naruto watched as the two then turned to each other and kissed, timidly at first, then passionately, the kiss so deep that Naruto couldn't tell where one mouth began and the other end. Then they parted and Hinata turned to Naruto, her smile so huge and wide that it looked unnatural. The lower part of her face had morphed into that of a snake, which mirrored Sasuke's now transformed face. And that's when Naruto saw it.

Hinata's left hand was resting on her naked belly, its size and shape showing that she was pregnant. A hot, sharp pain shot through Naruto's heart as he clutched his chest at the site now before him. There was no other way to view. Sasuke and Hinata were together. They were in love, and they were having a baby.

Fresh tears ran down Naruto's cheeks as untold grief overtook him. Staggering, he saw Hinata nod her head at his thoughts, confirming that is was Sasuke's child. Then she spoke to him, however, unlike before where he couldn't hear what anyone was saying, he now heard clearly what was being said. The pain of the words was like his heart being ripped out of his chest.

Hinata smiled sweetly at him, her snake-like features heightening the effect disturbingly. _"It's a boy."_

Naruto screamed.

His mouth was open, the sorrowful scream piercing through the quiet of the room he was in. His eyes were wide open, unfocused, receding into his skull. He began to thrash against his bonds due to the sorrow and rage clashing in his body, but the bonds held fast keeping the young man from moving more than a few millimetres in any direction. That did not stop him from trying. As Naruto struggled against the bonds, the cold, hard metal that was the shackles stayed steadfast against his skin. Blood began to seep through the small cuts, caused by Naruto's struggling, at his neck, wrists and ankles.

In a matter of seconds blood was flowing freely against his bonds, the red liquid trailing down his neck and wrists and ankles, and was now spilling over the edge of the table he was lying on, pooling on the floor beneath, turning the tiles from white to red. And still Naruto struggled. His scream was unending as his vision was not that of the ceiling above him, but that of his love in the arms of another. And then slowly, painfully, Naruto stopped thrashing and slowly settled back against the table, thoughts of Hinata and Sasuke slowly leaving him as four words repeated in his mind.

'_It's only a dream.'_ Then he passed out.

* * *

Regaining consciousness, Naruto struggled to organise his thoughts. '_What happened?'_

At that thought a nagging sensation made itself known to him. He had already been down this path of thought. Why then couldn't he remember any of it? A feeling of déjà-vu washed over him, causing him to shiver. He was naked, strapped down to a table in a room. The dull pain that covered his body remained, as well as the nausea that clouded his mind and sought to hinder his thoughts.

That's when he realised something. He couldn't feel the fox anymore. Attempting to focus, Naruto sought to address the Kyuubi sealed within him through their mental connection, and once again the nausea hit him causing his focus to wane.

'_Damn it! What the hell has happened to me?'_

For a while Naruto laid still, waiting for the anger and nausea to pass. Slowly he opened his eyes, this time meeting no resistance to the action. A thick mist clouded his vision as the image of a giant flying snake with a sword for a tongue flew towards him. Blinking, as excruciating as the exercise was, cleared his vision only for Naruto to be met with a familiar sight. A white ceiling. Only it wasn't the same white ceiling of the Konoha hospital, which he had frequented so many times that he knew the standard design of the ceilings like the back of his hand. No, this ceiling was made up of white tiles, the squares at least two feet on each side.

'_So I'm not in Konoha.'_ That thought alone demoralised him, yet for some reason the sensation was quickly superseded by the anger that he already knew this, he just hadn't caught onto that fact yet. Turning his head to the left Naruto saw that the wall was also tiled. '_I guess the whole room is the same.' _Straightening his head, he stared at the ceiling for a little while as he slowly tensed and flexed what muscles he could. He was fastened tight to the table, the bonds giving little movement to his body. He could feel a sharp pain at his wrists and ankles, like he had been cut, yet he knew that he had not been attacked. '_Who did this to me_?' The anger came again as he thought about it, the nagging sensation in the back of his head letting him know he was an idiot.

'_Strange. Why would I think myself an idiot for not knowing something I only just found out about?'_

Turning his head to the right, he saw a small bedside table positioned about three feet from where he was. It was white like the rest of the room, and stood about three feet high with two draws. On top of it was several small instruments Naruto knew nothing about, as well as a lighter, a pack of cigarettes, and ash tray. '_Well I guess I'm in a hospital, and it's no smoking laws are lax.'_ Smirking at his poor joke, Naruto straightened himself again, the ceiling becoming his canvas as he started to formulate an idea of where he was and what happened.

Several minutes passed as he laid still on the table. Then he heard the sound of a door opening and closing. Lifting his head a little, Naruto tried to look at the source of the sound, but the metal shackle over his neck kept his head from rising too high to look past his feet. Soft footsteps made their way around the base of the table till they stopped on Naruto's right.

Shifting his head to look at the person beside him, Naruto struggled to focus on him, and after several seconds could see the man clearly. He was dressed as a doctor, the white overcoat buttoned up and covering his body from neck to foot. He wore glasses that were sliding slowly down the bridge of his nose, which he promptly pushed back up with the pinky finger of his right hand. He was scribbling something on a notepad, the pen moving quickly in his right hand. The man was in his late forties, early fifties, judging by the grey in his short hair, which was balding along the crown of his head. There were many wrinkles on his forehead, around his eyes and his mouth, and his skin was of a pale colour, which contrasted with the dark coloured stubble on his chin.

Two scars were on his face. The first running from the corner of his left eye about halfway down his cheek in a curving fashion which would probably have ended at the left corner of his mouth. The other was running horizontally across his right cheek, about two inches long. Both scars were old, and they told Naruto one thing – while this man might appear to be a doctor, he had also seen combat, which meant his was a soldier or a ninja.

As Naruto appraised the man beside him, he noticed that the man was still scribbling intently, a slight frown upon his features as he concentrated. Though the glasses obscured his eyes a bit, Naruto noticed that while they were squinted in concentration, the man's eyes were clear, with no sign of fatigue or age showing. The eyes were a dark brown and were hard. The man was also short. Naruto didn't consider himself tall by any regards, but was at least six foot tall, while this man was at least five foot tall. What he didn't have in height Naruto saw that he made up in width. The aging man was about 190-200 kilograms. He was a bit fat, if the bulge in the overcoat was any indication, but the bulk of his fat seemed to be made up in the muscle that was his chest and arms.

The man stopped writing and carefully placed the notebook in a pocket halfway down the left side of his overcoat, while the pen was placed in a pocket on the left of his chest. Taking off his glasses, and placing them near the pen, he turned to face Naruto, a small smile on his lips.

"So have you finished appraising me Naruto?"

Shocked by the friendly attitude in the old man's voice, and at being caught, Naruto's face spoke what he couldn't say.

"Oh, don't be so surprised boy. This has gotta be the fifth time you've done that, and if I didn't know better I'd think you were infatuated with me, but that's not the case now is it?" Naruto's face betrayed him again as he quickly scanned the man's face in an attempt to recognise it. "You don't remember me, do you?" The man leaned in close so that a foot of space separated them, and stared directly into Naruto's eyes, the smile still present on his face. "You're not supposed to though. It's an effect of the stuff you've been given. Keeps you docile and messes with your brain." The smug tone in his voice told Naruto all he needed to know – this man was his captor.

"However, it seems that you're developing a bit of a resistance to the cocktail I've been giving you, and I spent so much time thinking up that nice little drink for you." Straightening himself, the smile left the man's face as he proceeded to pull a small needle from another coat pocket and examine it closely. "This should give you a nice little sleep. Let's hope it's not filled with nightmares again, eh? Don't want people running in here cause you have a fit like last time." Naruto was confused. When did he have a nightmare? The nagging sensation of déjà-vu hit him again and nausea washed over him.

"Don't remember it? That's fine, you're not meant to. You sure did scare a lot of people though, especially with all the blood on the ground. Quite a mess to clean up." The man laughed, the sound more like a bark. Obviously it was meant as a witty stab, but the humour was lost on Naruto. "Alrighty, here we go." The man placed the tip of the needle along the inside of Naruto's right arm, then pushed it into the skin.

A sharp pain shot through Naruto's arm, blinding him to everything else, and he struggled for several seconds trying to get free in order to stop the unnamed man from injecting him with whatever it was. Then the pain was gone. Naruto stopped fighting and laid still, his eyes on the man beside him. "Much better. Okay, well that shouldn't take long to put you under, so I'll see you again tomorrow. You be a good patient now and go to sleep, and remember, no nightmares."

The smile he had on his face was full of good humour, but Naruto could see the hidden malice beneath it. He then watched as his 'doctor' proceeded out of his sight at a leisurely pace, and then seconds later heard the opening and closing of the door. He was alone again. Confusion set it as he replayed several things the man said in his mind.

This had happened before, five times in fact, and each time he was becoming more resilient to whatever was being given to him. But why was he being drugged? Obviously to keep him sedated. He had also had a fit, a nightmare as the man put it. Why? And why couldn't he remember it? The nagging sensation attacked him again. He had done the same thing each time the man had come in, checking him to ascertain if he was a threat or not, as indicated by the joking manner in which it was pointed out to him. The man also said he wasn't supposed to remember it, that it was meant to mess with his memory. Obviously this was being done to him so that he would have to restart his train of thought each time, making any plans for escape pointless. The nagging feeling in his head grew larger til one thought snapped in his mind.

The Kyuubi! The drug wasn't only meant to incapacitate him, but also the fox. That was it. Now he had a better of idea what was going on. The drug kept him docile and the Kyuubi out of the picture, that way it couldn't help. But it already was. The nagging sensation, the feeling of déjà-vu made sense now. It was the fox trying to tell him something, and now he felt a huge sense of relief wash over him.

The man had said he was building up a resistance to the drug. And if the fox was starting to affect him so strongly now, that could only mean that pretty soon the drug would be ineffective. '_One or two more shots and they'll change their plans on how to keep me captive. But that also means that I have a shot or two to get back my senses and make an escape attempt.'_ The thought was comforting for Naruto, and he knew the Kyuubi would be ready when the time came.

That's when a thought occurred to him that he hadn't considered before. If he was being held captive with a drug that severed his connection between himself and the Kyuubi, then who was holding him prisoner?

'_Akatsuki has captured me.'_ The thought alone struck Naruto with such dread that he felt an unsettling disconnection from reality. If Akatsuki had him, then the chance of escaping while half drugged was impossible. Even worse was that the chance of rescue was miniscule at best. There was no way out, and then the darkness settled over him and Naruto passed out.

* * *

Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 2: Time is Running Out Part 1

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_'Thinking current tense'_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 2: Time is Running Out – Part 1

Closing the door to the examination room behind him, Xander sighed as he flicked on the light switch to illuminate the small room. The room was situated between the room his current patient, Namikaze Naruto, was in, and the hallway which was just outside the door behind him. The room was used by other doctors to watch as a patient was examined by the attending doctor. There was a glass window nearly the size of the wall to peer through, and it was one way.

Xander stood silently as Naruto moved slightly on the examination table, his body language revealing to the aging ninja what he was thinking. '_He remembers more now. Pretty soon the drug won't work at all.'_ The thought was galling. The drug he had invented was designed to leave its victim without coherent thoughts or memory for several days on one dose, making it perfect for interrogation, torture and experimentation. The target would experience several days of confusion, then would become a willing puppet to whatever was asked of him.

As it stood, for seven days now Naruto had been subjected to regular doses. The first dose had lasted for only two days, Naruto waking in the middle of an examination. Xander had jumped from the sudden movement, then quickly sought to put Naruto under again. And since then each day required a new dose. Yesterday had been the worse though.

Running through the corridors of the building, a piercing scream tore through the walls. A nurse was running alongside him, desperate for the noise to stop. There was only one room it could be coming from. Opening the door to the room, Xander was hoping the scream was a trick. Instead he was greeted by the sight of blood. The entire floor was covered in blood, the red liquid pouring from wounds at Naruto's neck, wrists and ankles. Running to the table, his sandals sloshing through the thin layer of blood, each step causing a spray that coated the bottom of his overcoat, Xander quickly administered first-aid. Luckily the bleeding had only just started and Naruto was unconscious, so minimal blood was lost. At least minimal when considering Naruto.

'_No doubt the Kyuubi saved him from bleeding out.'_ That thought alone had given Xander relief to begin with, but now he knew better than to thank the fox. The Kyuubi was speeding up Naruto's metabolism and enhancing his body's immune system, rendering the drug Xander administered useless. Each day he upped the dose he gave Naruto, seeking to hold off the Kyuubi's powers for one more day, yet it was futile. One, maybe two more doses of the drug would be administered before its effectiveness was gone.

His employer had told him to create a new drug. Xander had told him flatly that the drug he was giving him was the strongest he knew of, and it would take months, if not years to create something more powerful, and even then it might not work given the Kyuubi's powers. His employer was not pleased, but was glad to hear it would last for at least a few more days, more than enough time he said to get things ready. Xander was about to ask his employer what he was getting ready, but quickly stopped as he looked at the man's face. He didn't need to know what was to happen. Xander knew he was better off being in the dark about this one.

This one boy had dented his pride. Granted this boy had the powers of the Kyuubi behind him, but Xander prided himself on his knowledge of drugs and poisons. After all, he had initially been a healer by trade, his young life filled with books and plants. He journey from healer to ninja had been swift and painful. His family and friends had died. His love was taken. His life sold. His life had been filled with banishment, then slavery. Now it was filled with death and decay. The Kyuubi had taken his powerful drug, his work of three years, and devoured it. He knew this was a once off aberration, and the drug could still be used quite effectively on anyone else. But Xander knew that every time he used it, he would think back to this one moment - this one moment where his drug was defeated.

Naruto finally fell asleep on the examination table, so Xander took out his note pad to jot down the new time his patient succumbed to sleep. As he finished, a presence appeared behind him in the small room, the door never opening, indicating it was his employer.

"How goes it Xander?"

Turning to face the man, Xander pocketed his notepad and pen. "He's showing increased resistance, indicated by the shorter times between sleep. He also takes longer to succumb to sleep. However, he still has confusion as to what is happening, but I can see him remembering, slowly. Pretty soon the drug won't work at all."

"So another two days at least?" His employer stared at body on the table. Uchiha Madara was by no means a tall man, but to Xander he seemed a giant. The Akatsuki cloak hid his body and its movements well, while the spiral shaped mask he wore only gave away his intent through his eye, which was indecipherable due to the Sharingan.

"I'd work on the drug only lasting one more day. Two if we're lucky." Even after working for the man for five years, Xander still found his presence intimidating, but had worked on hiding his unease. "He remembers nothing of yesterday, but I can see that he knows something is wrong with the Kyuubi. His connection is slowly returning."

Moving towards the glass, Madara kept his eye on Naruto. "We'll need to prep him for the procedure. I'll come back tomorrow and apply the seals. Then we'll move him to the chamber. Once there it won't matter if he's drugged or not." As Madara turned to face him, Xander could swear if not for the mask that Madara was smiling. "Not long now Xander and my plan will be complete and you will be given all that you need." Turning around, Madara proceeded to the door.

"Thank you. I will have everything ready for you tomorrow." Watching his employer, Xander was more confused about the man as ever. He appears out of thin air in a tiny room, then leaves said room by the door. Theatrics followed by the mundane. _'No doubt he did it to throw me off, but once he saw that I was unfazed, he must have thought his trick was wasted. Or maybe the whole exercise was a trick?' _ Xander gave up on that train of thought right away.

Years ago the Uchiha had caused him to run around in circles, chasing complex puzzles followed by conundrums. It was part of his game, and Xander had long ago mastered the ability to dodge it completely. Yet every so often he would have to remind himself that it was part of who his employer was. _'A manipulative man who sees everyone as his pawn, no doubt an effect of being immortal.'_ Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his pinky finger, Xander turned off the light in the room and decided to exit the same was as his employer. The normal way.

* * *

Sasuke was angry. As he leapt through treetops as fast as he could, he sought out his target, extending his senses in every direction hoping to catch a sign of her.

For two days he had rested in Konoha hospital, Tsunade and Sakura attending to his various wounds and injuries. For a moment he had thought that it was because they cared for him. Then reality struck. They had sectioned him off in a deserted ward, far away from other civilians and ninjas in case he tried anything. They were the only people he saw, no doubt because they were the best in medicine, and they could also handle him if he got out of control.

So he endured the humiliation. The cold stares, tense atmosphere, rough handling. He took it all, because he knew that his pride could take it now. What his pride couldn't take was the mess he caused. That was why he was in the current mess he was, leaping through trees. Hinata had proposed such a simple plan. Place his life in her hands and all would be forgiven. At the time it seemed the right thing to do. And yet, it was the only thing he could do to atone for his crimes. His sins.

Even now the thought of being tied to Naruto caused him grief, and now he was tied to Hinata, Naruto's fiancé. The similarities between the two now were shocking to Sasuke. He had been shocked when he first saw her. Never had he thought the shy, timid girl who would hide herself away from the world would become such a beauty. But it was not just her outside appearance. She was now confident, strong, and devious. _'Perfect for Naruto.'_ The grim thought caused Sasuke to smirk.

She had captured Sasuke with her plan. His life was hers, he was told. Why shouldn't he then be put to good use? Had this happened several years ago, he would have rallied against the thought of it, fighting with all his strength to escape the situation. Now, with hindsight, he knew that arrogance had caused his problems, the list long and varied throughout the years. Gone now was thoughts of revenge. Gone was the need to shun everyone who ever cared for him. He would make it up to everyone. He would start with Naruto. He would save Naruto even if he had to give his life in exchange. This would be his first atonement, and maybe his last should it be decided.

Up ahead, a flash of light reflected off a thrown kunai as it whizzed towards him. Landing on the next tree branch, a kunai was already in Sasuke's hand as he moved to parry the projectile, the clank of metal on metal sounding in the area. Dropping to the ground, Sasuke hid himself from sight, and sure that he was hidden, started to move around the position of his objective, hoping to flank his attacker.

Pain registered in his limbs from the exercise, and once again anger flared. After two days of fixing him up, Tsunade had proposed that he be left to rest for at least a week so that he was recovered enough to assist Hinata. What hadn't been said was that the rest was to give him time to regain his strength so he could fight, and possibly die, for her. Hinata had stood close to the door in his small hospital room, watching Tsunade silently as she explained everything. Not one word was spoken. Not one expression given. Her body was as still as a statue.

As Tsunade finished, Hinata transferred her gaze from the Hokage to Sasuke, the cold look in her eyes, magnified by the white colour of her pupil-less irises, froze Sasuke. Then she asked to see the Hokage outside. Both women left the room and for several minutes Sasuke listened intently. There was no yelling, no screams, just a light muffled sound caused by the walls blocking the sound.

Tsunade re-entered the room followed by Hinata. Tsunade looked tired, and her voice was irritated. _"It has been decided that you will get only three days rest, not a week. Sakura and I will help you recover as fast as possible. Then you will be out of here so that you can useful."_ She then turned to the door and walked out. Shocked, Sasuke stared after her for a minute, then turned to Hinata who was regarding him coolly. The room grew tense, and Sasuke needed to know what would happen next.

_"You will be of use. We go in three days."_ Her words had interrupted him so quickly that he stared at her in shock. The hair on the back of his neck rose at her words. She left the room silently, the last he would see of her for three days.

The cocktail of exercise and drugs that Tsunade was putting him through gave him back his strength, though the cost was never mentioned, except that he would trade fast recovery now for pain later. Five days after returning to Konoha, he was back at the gates again, the early morning sun rising in the sky, the colour jubilant – a complete contrast to how he felt.

In front of him stood Hinata and five Anbu, their blank, expressionless masks regarding him silently. Moving toward Hinata, he knew what he must do. Kneeling on one leg before her, he bowed his head in servitude. _"Lady Hyuuga, I am here as requested in order to fulfil my oath. I am yours to command."_

Ordering him to rise, Hinata had proceeded to lay out the plan to her squad. The target was obviously not known to all, because as Naruto's name was mentioned, two Anbu tensed, while another glanced at Sasuke, obviously becoming aware of his purpose for being there. The other two Anbu already knew the mission judging by their body language, though Sasuke was not sure whether it was knowledge that influenced them, or training that made them appear as one thing and be another.

Then they were off. They had run straight all day, their target at least another two. Sasuke was second in formation just behind the scout, his knowledge of the area used to plot the course of least resistance.

Coming around behind his target, Sasuke now knew things would only get worse, if only because everything he thought he knew was false. His knowledge of the area was worthless, if this attack was anything to go by. He saw the two bodies lying dead on the ground, not one drop of blood in the clearing. One was sprawled out on the ground like it was hit by a tremendous blow. The other laid in a crumpled heap at the feet of his target. She was standing there, her back to him, her gaze on the body before her.

"You can come out now Uchiha." Hinata turned to face Sasuke, her Byakugan enhanced eyes on him. Stepping from concealment, Sasuke watched as Hinata readjusted a glove on her right hand, the other five Anbu landing in a semi-circle behind her. She was dressed in standard Anbu gear, save for her mask which was attached to her belt. As the other Anbu disposed of the bodies, Sasuke moved towards Hinata.

"Should we be worried about any more patrols in the area?" Hinata asked the question as she checked a compass.

"No, Lady Hyuuga. The patrols cover a large area, and only criss-cross at certain points. The absence of these guards should go unnoticed for at least another 2-3 hours. However, we will cross more patrols as we get closer to the base."

Regarding him, Hinata smirked. "Yes I'm sure the patrols will increase. After all it is their main base." Turning she moved over to the other Anbu. "Come Uchiha, we have much ground to cover and I don't plan to rest til tonight, whether you keep up or not." With that she launched into the trees, Sasuke and the other Anbu following. Taking up his position, Sasuke felt fatigue start to set in.

She had mocked him, openly, about the ambush, no doubt annoyed that his knowledge didn't pertain to new patrol routes. Now she was punishing him, pushing him past what he could take. Sasuke felt his anger return. Hinata would use him to rescue Naruto, and in return he would begin his path to redemption. Cold reality touched him at that thought.

She would be the death of him. And he would welcome it.

* * *

Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 2: Time is Running Out Part 2

Edit 24/01/10 - Just some minor spelling correction. I'm currently trying to post a chapter once week (usually a Friday or Saturday) which should give me plenty of time to do some catch up study and other projects.

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_'Thinking current tense'_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 2: Time is Running Out – Part 2

Uchiha Madara was not the madman people thought him to be. Nor the delusional immortal with dreams of trapping the world in a genjutsu of his creation, not that it stopped him from trying it.

No, he was a simple man, with thoughts of family and making a better future in his mind. Then the world had assaulted him with troubles, then problems, then disasters. Each he handled, though each had changed him, scarred him. Now he stood over Namikaze Naruto, the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, and each scar felt like a trophy. His plan was close to completion, and once he enacted it, the world would be remade in his vision. A vision of peace with him as its caretaker.

Everybody would be happy. No arguments, no disputes, no wars. Everyone would be equal, everyone content. For years he had bided his time, slowly gathering strength so that when he acted he could do it swiftly. And when the time had come, he was once again stopped by unlikely odds. The man lying before him had defied the odds and delayed Madara for several years.

However, for an immortal, a delay of years felt like minutes considering the amount of waiting he had endured. Naruto's father had been much the same, however, unlike Naruto who stumbled upon his plan haphazardly, Minato had actively sought to disrupt Madara's plans. He relished the idea that his plan had killed Minato, his wife Kushina, and trapped Naruto in a pre-defined path that would lead to his death. The symmetry of it pleased him.

There were still hiccups along the way, most caused by Naruto. Sasuke though had been the hardest plan to get going. The child was stubborn, and it took many years before he could be used. Madara was almost proud of his distant relative when he killed Oorochimaru and Itachi, removing two of his biggest annoyances from his sight.

Even in his failure, Madara was pleased with what Sasuke had done for him, the latest being his fall in battle against the Namikaze, which led to his prize now lying before him. The loss of Sasuke as a pawn had briefly crossed Madara's mind, but all he could do now was die or help in a rescue attempt for Naruto. The moment he knew Sasuke was gone, Madara enacted plans in case there was a rescue attempt.

Dipping the brush back in the ink well that he held in his left hand, Madara continued to slowly draw the necessary seals on the naked body of Naruto with his right hand. He had started about half an hour ago, and expected that it would take another two hours before he was finished. He was going to use shadow clones to get it done faster, but liked the idea of taking it slow this time. After all, there was nothing to stop him now, so why shouldn't he enjoy his victory?

The doctor, Xander, had been in earlier to give Naruto his daily dose of drugs. Madara enjoyed the annoyed expression on Xander's face when he saw that his wondrous drug was doing nothing against the might of the Kyuubi, and each time after that when Madara would remind him of his drugs' weakness. Now Naruto was out for the count, and would never wake again once tomorrow was done.

Finishing a seal, Madara placed the ink well and brush down on the small table near the examination table. Regarding Naruto for a moment, Madara sighed and removed his mask. "For what it's worth boy, I'm truly sorry for what happened to you in Konoha. Your father was a brave man, smart beyond his years, and a true thorn in my side. He had to die in order for me to accomplish my goals. Your mother was not part of my plan, but I can't say I didn't relish her death. And you. I didn't believe the villagers would treat you so poorly, given what your parents sacrificed in order to save them. I was wrong. What I saw no-one else but a select few saw. You're the son of heroes, and you were treated like a villain. Now you're treated as a hero, and you'll die like a villain." Sorrow filled his voice, then Madara slowly placed the mask back on his face.

Picking up the ink well and brush, Madara continued to draw the seals on Naruto's body. "I suppose it doesn't matter now whether you're a hero though, or whether I'm sorry, because nothing is going to stop what's going to happen. So let's just make the most of this and enjoy the moment." Smiling to himself under his mask, Madara decided to play up the moment with some humour.

"So I see you're new to this area. Where did you come from?" Leaning in close to Naruto's face, Madara turned his head to the side so he could hear Naruto's response. "Mmhmm... oh really, Konoha you say. You know, I came from that area too, though it was years ago that I was there. I think some guy named Senju was in charge. Terrible fellow." A loud laugh rang out through the room, followed by some giggling as Madara placed a hand over his mask where his mouth was, the ink brush still held by it.

"Silly man was constantly having problems with sanitation. Mmm... uh-huh... really? The current Hokage has the same problems? Isn't she related to him? She is!? Well there you go. No matter how many Senju's there are, none can handle the crap of being in office!" Laughing harder this time, Madara continued to draw seals on Naruto's body, the sound of laughter resounding in the room as he prepared for the last few stages of his plan.

* * *

The current Hokage was sitting at her desk, her head in her hands which were rested on the hardwood, reviewing the day's events. It was about midday, and already she had had two meetings that left her tired and frustrated.

The first had happened just after she arrived at the office, the morning sun having just risen in the horizon. Sitting in her chair, Tsunade had begun to review the first document in the pile on her desk, when a small cough penetrated her concentration. _'Smug bastard thinks he's so witty always appearing unnoticed, only to cough lightly, announcing his presence while he reads that damn book.'_

Kakashi had said what she expected him too. He had arrived back from a mission yesterday, and had no doubt heard that Hinata, Sasuke, and a team of Anbu had left two days prior. He argued with her, saying how foolish she was in roundabout terms, and that Sasuke was not to be trusted, and that it was stupid to not wait for him to come back from his mission so he could help.

'_After all this time the man still sees them as little kids that need protecting, rather than adults who occasionally need guidance.' _ Taking his mothering and insults no longer, Tsunade berated him. He was an idiot. He had no right questioning her authority. He had no faith in his charges. By the end of her sharp retort, Tsunade watched one of the most feared men in the world deflated, his confidence and argument gone.

She explained the plan, the arguments, everything that happened that she was willing to share, hoping to alleviate some of his concerns. If not for the fact he reminded her of Jiraiya at that moment, she probably would have told him to get lost. Watching him, Tsunade saw Kakashi sift through the events, working out a plan of his own.

He requested four Anbu teams. She told him no. There were simply too many missions on at the moment and not enough ninjas. So she gave him one team of Anbu. His mission was to backup Hinata's team and help in the rescue of Naruto. The pleased look in his eye told her all she needed to know. He was grateful.

'_If that idiot dies, he better not come back as a ghost to haunt me or I'll kill him again myself.'_ Sighing heavily, the other problem nagging at her let itself be known.

Hyuuga Hisashi had come to her not an hour ago, his rage clear in his stance and face. What really gave away the feeling he was pissed was the way he announced himself. Tsunade had been going over the last of her paperwork for the morning when she felt a tremor in the tower. Following that were angry voices, one louder than the rest, and more impacts, then everything went quiet.

An Anbu appeared in front of her desk and informed her of what was happening. Hisashi was in the tower and was currently trying to get into her office to see her. Dismissing the Anbu with orders to let Hisashi proceed, Tsunade prepared for his arrival. She relaxed in her chair and took a sip of sake from a cup she had just placed on the table.

The footsteps started softly then became loud, and soon enough the doors exploded inwards, the hinges coming close to breaking. The contrast was interesting, to say the least, as Tsunade watched the scene in front of her, another sip of sake passing her lips. Hyuuga Hisashi stood in the doorway to her office, undisturbed in appearance at what had happened, appearing to be there on normal matters.

'_He broke that illusion quickly.'_ Tsunade thought with grim satisfaction. He asked Tsunade to bring Hinata back. She refused. He asked her if he could send men after her. She refused. He asked her to send more Anbu to assist her so the mission could succeed. She refused again. Tsunade knew he was not happy.

He had told his daughter to not take the mission, and Hinata had simply told him she had to. He listed various reasons why she should let someone else rescue Naruto. She had argued against it and won. No matter how much he loved his daughter, how much he sought to protect her, he couldn't this time, and it hurt him because he knew it was suicide. She loved Naruto too much to leave him, and he knew he couldn't stop her.

He acquiesced in his demands. Slowly he left the office, and Tsuande was alone again with her paperwork. She had feared many things in her reign as Hokage, but never had she imagined this happening. Uchiha Madara now had all the pieces he needed to complete his master plan that he had explained years earlier. And with all the nations again against each other again instead of standing united against him, Madara was unhindered.

"I guess some things I can't even help with." Swivelling in her chair, she faced the massive window behind her and looked out over her village. "Shizune, I need you in here." Tsunade yelled.

Coming in through the still open doors, Shizune approached the desk. "What do you need Tsunade-sama?" Still facing the window, Tsunade contemplated her actions one more time, and then turned around to face Shizune.

"I want all active ninja in the village in my office in an hour. I also want one of the Nara's here. Shikaku or Shikamaru, I don't care which one." Letting out a slow breath, Tsunade looked at her assistant and close friend of many years. "Also send a message to Suna to inform Gaara of our plans. It seems Shizune, that we must prepare for war."

* * *

Not sure about posting this chapter, but had to as I wanted to show both these characters, as well as show what had happened and is happening. Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 2: Time is Running Out Part 3

Edit 31/01/2010: I've got some bad news for those of you waiting patiently for the next chapter of this story. As it stands I am currently unable to upload the new chapter. I don't know what's causing this, but I'll hazard a guess and say it due to my very slow internet connection at the moment because its past its download limit (and the internet in Australia sucks). So until my internet clicks over to the new month, I'm stuck, and that means the new chapter won't be up till friday next week. I'm sorry about this, and if I can find a way around it I will post the new chapter sooner.

p.s. What's really annoying though is that I'm able to type this, but I can't upload the document with the new chapter in it. Grrrrrr....

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_'Thinking current tense'_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 2: Time is Running Out – Part 3

As the fully-clad samurai reached the end of his route and then turned to retrace his steps, Sasuke looked at the sun's position in the sky, the orb close to its midday apex. For the last thirty minutes he had laid in the bushes of the forest surrounding the old battlements, scouting the southern end of the area for guards and patrol routes.

Arriving at the Akatsuki base in Water Country about two hours ago, the team had found the least patrolled area in the surrounding forest and promptly setup camp. Hinata had then split the team up, pairs of two while she went alone, each group given a section of the area to scout.

The fortress had never seemed that intimidating to Sasuke as he went about his business during his brief stay in Madara's home. Now, laying next to his masked Anbu partner, both scouting the enemies defences, he saw how truly monumental this mission would be. It wasn't the layout of the area or the heavy number of guards that awed him. No, it was the way in which Madara had used his troops and the environment together to create such an efficient defence that there were no gaps.

The battlements were constructed roughly one hundred years ago during the First Shinobi War. They were built around a valley that went through a mountain range, the trade route giving an invading force easy access to villages that used the mountains as a defence.

The edges of the walls were crafted from the mountain, the structure forming a semi-circle. The work of chipping out the walls from the mountainside had no doubt taken a long time. It was worth it though. The walls were impenetrable from either side, and the defenders of the wall were protected well. Coupled with the unique minerals in the rock which made performing earth jutsus on it near impossible, the only hope of overcoming the defences would come by taking the centre of the wall.

This was also constructed from rocks from the mountains, while the gate was made to be one giant wall that was pushed or pulled into place. The outside of the gate was one smooth piece of rock, the featureless wall made with no depressions or footholds, a design that made it hard to climb or open from the outside. The inside of the gate was braced with a lattice of metal, each length being two feet high and one foot thick, and running the ten metre wide stance of the gate.

The many battles that took place did nothing to age the structure. It was the weather that damaged it the most. The mountainside had collapsed partially, blocking the valley and damaging the walls. Now useless as a defensive structure, the original occupants abandoned it and slowly nature had taken over. Then Uchiha Madara had taken up residence in the structure, placing several buildings on the open ground between the wall and the cave entrance. Now he had a perfect defendable base.

Sasuke felt a newfound respect for the man, even though he was a homicidal maniac. _'It's a pity the beauty of it is lost on these idiots.' _Glancing at the nameless Anbu laying in the bushes beside him, he watched the man scan his side of the battlements for guards. Sasuke felt contempt for the man. Why was he done so fast while this elite Anbu was taking so long? Sasuke might be less arrogant now, but that didn't mean he expected less of people, especially when it came to Anbu.

The nameless Anbu turned to Sasuke then, signalled he was done, and then both men slowly inched away from their cover and returned to camp. The small clearing that Hinata had set as camp was well hidden, and as Sasuke and his partner returned so too did another pair of Anbu. Sitting down, Sasuke only had to wait a few minutes before both Hinata and the last pair of Anbu returned.

A dread feeling rose in Sasuke's stomach as he watched a map being laid out, each Anbu explaining the defences they saw while Hinata marked the relevant positions. He quickly thought back on everything he remembered of the defences from the inside and out. He was missing something. Something important.

* * *

Hinata never liked leadership. She did not delude herself on the matter – she was not suited to lead. Growing up, she was too meek, shy, and unconfident to lead effectively. Her trials and tribulations had helped her somewhat, as had having Naruto as her personal tormentor and cheer squad all rolled into one. No matter what anyone told her though, when everything was boiled down Hinata was not suited to leadership. She just didn't possess all the abilities needed for the role. She felt liberated by the knowledge.

Pushing aside such thoughts, she had trained herself hard to be the best at what she does. She possessed a sharp mind that allowed her to analyse situations fast and react accordingly. She had mastered all that could be taught to her regarding the Gentle Fist style her family used, plus their many ninjutsu. And when that was done, Naruto had helped her train in several other fighting styles and elemental techniques. Nobody messed with her now, unless it was training or they had a death wish.

She knew though that all that training meant nothing when presented with a strong enemy or a tough mission. Reality didn't scare Hinata. She knew her boundaries, which was why she was considered one of the best kunoichi's in Fire Country. And still knowing all that Hinata felt dismayed as she looked at the information her team had gathered. She hated it when there were so many variables. It made what should be a simple mission that much harder when practically anything could happen.

The only person she could rely on once inside the base was herself, because no matter what was said and done, every member of her team could die within the first few seconds and she couldn't afford that situation considering the cost. She hated leadership.

Hinata didn't know who the five Anbu with her were, though she had worked with them all on at least one mission. There was Owl, the senior Anbu in the group, who she had paired with the Uchiha to keep an eye on him. The man was so quiet that she was unsure how he became a captain. Then there was Joker and Rose, the other two members of Owl's team, who bickered whenever time permitted. Hinata had often wondered if the two were in a relationship.

Last were the two rookies. Frog was the new member of Owl's team, his nerves barely showing considering the gravity of the situation. And then there was Mantis, who for the mission so far had made it his mission to pick on Frog every chance he got. Hinata warned Mantis to stow it til after the mission, but it had done little to deter him.

As Mantis finished his report Hinata marked the information on the map she had drawn of the base so far. Now it was the Uchiha's turn. She watched as the Uchiha pointed out his observations, her hand moving on auto to mark the map. She still didn't trust him, but she had little choice.

"I never really paid attention to the defences of the place while I was working for Madara, so there's nothing I can tell you that I haven't already." Sasuke paused for a second, his hand hovering over the map. "This is the only way in. Madara no doubt has countless ways of getting in or out, but he showed me none, and I could find none in my travels."

As Sasuke leaned back from the map, Hinata considered all the information they had gathered. "The madman dug tunnels under the mountainside, and though I only saw some rooms during my stay, I know it's a maze down there, the tunnels extending deep."

"You'll be coming with me then Uchiha." Hinata said to Sasuke. "Your knowledge may be limited, but it's the best we have." Turning to the rest of her team, Hinata noted with satisfaction the irritated look in Sasuke's eyes. "Owl, I want you, Joker, Rose, and Frog to attack the right side of the wall. You're to work your way to the centre, and make like you're looking for a way in." Pausing for a breath, Hinata then continued. "Myself, the Uchiha, and Mantis will attack the left wall, sneaking in with cover from your attack. We'll move to the entrance clearing the way and once inside head for the holding cells. Uchiha?"

Sasuke paused for a few seconds, tunnel paths flashing through his mind. "The holding cells can be reached via the second door on the right along the main tunnel from the entrance. This is the likeliest place the Naruto is being held." Sasuke looked at Owl's team. "There is a medical facility located to the left at the end of the main tunnel. It's not very far down, but there are plenty of rooms. If Madara wants to run tests on Naruto, he'll be there."

Hinata took over. "That's where I want you to go Owl after you make it in. Your distraction gets us in, and then if you can I want your team to explore this area. Once Naruto is found the team who finds him will signal the other, and we'll retreat from the base. As this happens we'll blow the charges around the perimeter to buy us time to escape. Any questions?" Looking at each person, Hinata waited for responses.

"None? Okay, make no mistake, when we attack we will have every person in the place on us. Don't stuff around. Use every trick you've got to make it in fast and get out in one piece, because you only get one chance with this lot, and we have to make it count. We must get Naruto before Madara takes the Kyuubi." Finishing up, Hinata received confirmation nods from everyone.

As both teams formed, Hinata checked her equipment one more time. She hated leadership. And the plan had too many holes in it. This had to be done though, and she knew each ninja here would give it their all to complete the mission. Signalling Owl, Hinata waited while Owl's team snaked around to the attack the right wall. At the first explosion, she leapt from the cover of the trees, Sasuke and Mantis right on her tail, the left wall rising above her.

* * *

Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 3: Dazed and Confused Part 1

Yes! My internet works again... kind of. I had said previously that I would be updating on fridays/saturdays, but with last week's extra post and then my internet connection stopping me from uploading on the weekend I'm now out-of-whack for posting new chapters. What does this all mean? It means that I'll be posting at least a week apart from the previous post depending on how far along I am in writing, and it might be any day but I'm gonna try and make it the end of the week if I can (and it's not too long after the previous post). Enough rambling from me. Enjoy the new chapter.

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_'Thinking current tense'_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 3: Dazed and Confused – Part 1

For the last ten minutes Naruto had been awake. He had opened his eyes and instantly knew where he was, he just didn't know why. The pain quickly got his attention. Every part of him hurt, which was exacerbated as he tried to sit up, fresh agony erupting all over his body. He choked his cry of pain down, a feeling telling him not to cry out.

Once relaxed on the table he was on, Naruto tried just moving his left arm, and while the sensation of movement was like pins and needles, he was able to move it fairly easily despite the pain. That was when he heard the door open to the hospital room he was in.

Feigning sleep, Naruto tried to appear unconscious as he felt a presence enter the room and proceed to his right. He could faintly smell cigarettes and soap. A cool hand grabbed his right forearm and then Naruto registered a needle enter his skin. His blood was being drawn.

That was when he felt it. A small tremor vibrated through the table following a muffled boom. Feeling the hand on his forearm loosen its grip, Naruto knew this was his chance.

Naruto's eyes flashed open, the light of the room blinding him as he looked at his target. He didn't need to see though, his body was on auto, the brief flash of light doing nothing to hamper his movements. Naruto's left hand grabbed the needle protruding from his right arm while his right hand found the neck of his target. The needle punctured the right eye of the man, death instant, then his body collapsed across Naruto's, the new weight pinning Naruto to the table.

Laying under the heavy weight of the man, Naruto now saw his face clearly. Naruto did not know this man, but also at the same time knew that he did. It confused him greatly. Scanning the dead man's face, brief images flashed in his mind. He could see the man wearing glasses, a notepad and pen in his hands as he stood over Naruto. He could see him laughing, making jokes, and then as quickly stern and demanding. Naruto could also remember the man poking needles into him a lot.

Naruto could still not remember the man, but knew his description well. The man was in his late forties, early fifties, balding with grey hair and two scars, one on either side of his face. The knowledge of the scars was disconcerting to Naruto as he could only see the right-hand side of the man's face properly.

Feeling a powerful nagging sensation in the back of his head, Naruto was instantly aware that it was the Kyuubi's doing, though he didn't know why. Then it hit him. This man was named Xander and was Naruto's doctor, or so he claimed.

Naruto felt a surge of strength through his body as he claimed back a lost part of his memories, the Kyuubi pushing power through the seal to aid him. Naruto slowly pushed the dead Xander off of himself, the lifeless body falling to the ground in a heap. Then, slowly, Naruto raised himself to a seated position on the table, his feet dangling over the side.

A wave of nausea assaulted him, but he fought through it, and slowly Naruto's mind cleared again. He knew the next part would be difficult. Wherever he was, whatever was being done to him, Naruto knew escape was paramount, he just didn't know who he was escaping from. But whoever it was needed him constantly drugged in order to keep the Kyuubi under control. Akatsuki sprang to mind as his captors immediately. What he didn't understand was why he wasn't already dead.

Naruto needed to escape, but he wasn't sure if he could even make it to the door of the room he was in, let alone evade whatever guards there were and then find his way outside. _'I suppose I'll only find out by trying, plus I've got to get out of here regardless.' _Pushing himself forward off of the table with his arms, Naruto placed his feet on the ground, then instantly collapsed to the tiles, his knees and arms taking the brunt of the impact as he sought to protect himself.

Choking back a groan of pain as he fell to the ground, pain flowing through his knees and arms, Naruto could feel the nausea again, but its effects were lessening. Hunched over, another large tremor vibrated through the room, the distant roar of an explosion accompanying it, and Naruto knew then that something was definitely wrong and he had to go.

'_Come on Naruto, you can do this. You don't want to go out laying on the ground in pain, do you?' _With that thought Naruto pushed himself off the ground, then reached out for the edge of the table with his hands. Pulling himself upwards with all his strength he then propped his body against the table and attempted to steady his weight.

For several seconds Naruto could feel the weight on his legs cause them to give way, but with his body leaning against the table he did not fall. Then he pushed off the table and stood still for a moment before he felt his legs give which caused him to reach out with his hands to steady himself as he stumbled forward. However, this time Naruto did not fall. Now standing in the room, he could feel a new found power coarse through his body. He was also naked.

The room was empty except for the table he was laying on, the small beside table on its right, and Xander's dead body on the ground. No other items were in the room. Sighing, Naruto looked at Xander again. _'I guess I'll have to take his clothes.'_

Naruto knelt by Xander and stripped him of his clothes. The doctor wore plain clothes, a plain white t-shirt and black pants underneath a long white doctor's coat with black shoes. The shirt was too big for Naruto's frame and so he discarded it. The coat was much the same, but since he disregarded the t-shirt Naruto needed something to wear, so he tightened the belt at the waist and did up what buttons he could find. The pants however were a good fit once the belt was tightened though they were a bit short in the legs. He ignored the shoes as they were too big.

There was a third explosion as Naruto finished dressing, the sound slightly louder this time, while the vibration it caused was more powerful. Whatever it was, it was getting closer. Naruto was still feeling weak, but he knew it was now or never – he did not have the time to rest and regain his strength.

'_I've got to do this whether I have the strength to or not.'_ Naruto made his way to the door.

* * *

After the initial explosion announcing their attack on the wall, and their struggle to gain a foothold on top of the wall surrounding the entrance to the Uchicha's base, Owl now had a brief chance to survey their position.

His team, named Hydra, had caught the ninja on guard by surprise, as evidenced by their initial scurry of activity that resulted in seven of their number falling. Now, with the initial surprise gone, the defenders were quickly regrouping, their training kicking in. _'Now comes the hard part.'_ Owl smirked, his mask hiding it from the enemy.

Owl had been the captain of Team Hydra for almost three years now. Every mission was a success, and the name Hydra was feared and revered. Like the mythical beast with which the team shared its name, every member of the team was worth two Anbu, meaning that whenever a member was replaced, two heads would grow to replace one.

Dodging to his right, Owl avoided several shuriken that ricocheted of the surface of the wall, his path becoming blocked by another attacker. Spinning around a straight thrust, Owl grabbed the ninja's hand, pulled back to snap it, then, taking the released kunai from the broken hand stabbed it through the ninja's throat. The movement lasted mere seconds.

Owl's initial attacker had moved in to attack using his dead comrade as a shield. Instead of dodging around the dying ninja, Owl pushed the body at the oncoming ninja, the blood from the throat wound spraying in an arc, the two bodies colliding. Sliding in amidst the confusion, Owl withdrew a kunai from his left thigh pouch and stabbed the alive ninja in the heart. Both bodies collapsed on the battlements.

Flipping backwards, Owl avoided a fireball from another ninja that had just landed on the wall, two more ninja's backing him up. Owl flipped through several hand signs just as Frog launched several kunai wrapped with explosive tags at the ninja's. Timing was everything. As the three enemy ninja's launched forward toward Owl, either attempting to dodge or deflect the incoming projectiles, Owl completed his attack and fired an air ball straight at his attackers. The resulting explosion from the explosive tags and air attack incinerated the ninja's.

Frog was the newest member of the team and easily filled the place of their dead teammate Bear. Joker was reluctant at first to welcome Frog, but eventually warmed to him after being berated by Rose. Owl couldn't blame Joker for his attitude though since Bear was like a brother to him. However for the team to work each member had to trust each other implicitly. They had trained hard to get their teamwork perfect.

"Centre!" The command from Owl was instantly recognised by his team, and each member redoubled their efforts to make for the centre of the wall.

The enemy was swarming around them now, and each foot of ground was hard fought. Owl was leading the way, Frog acting as backup, while Joker and Rose brought up the rear. The enemy forces were well trained, their defense structure planned out perfectly. Several ninja's engaged Team Hydra in close quarters combat, using taijutsu, weapons, and jutsu, while the rest attacked from medium to long range with a combination of weapons and jutsu that not only exploited gaps but also worked in conjunction with the ninja's attacking in close quarters.

Killing another enemy with a kunai to the head, Owl pushed the dead body into the path of another ninja, then ducked as Frog fired off another barrage of kunai that exploded. Pushing into the newly created opening, a foot clipped Owl's chin, the force of the attack and his instincts to reduce the damage forcing him back a step. That's when he saw it. Further along the wall, Owl spotted a brief flash of movement that he knew was three bodies leaping off the wall and into the cover of the few buildings that covered the distance between the wall and the cave entrance.

'_Looks like Hinata made it over the wall. The enemy has spotted them, but more are occupied with us. We'll have to double our efforts to keep most of them on us.' _Owl knew it was easier said then done.

Two more ninja's joined the battle on the wall, the new arrivals forcing a small wedge between Owl and the rest of Team Hydra. Owl could do little between the constant attack of the three ninja's that surrounded him and conceded more ground increasing the distance from his team. Then the ninja to his left fell as Frog decapitated the ninja in a rushed attempt to provide backup. It was a foolish move.

Distracted by his move to help Owl, Frog took three kunai in the back, jerking forward from the sudden impact. Frog then quickly spun around, flashing through hand signs, and shot his hands out at the enemy, arcs of lightning striking the two ninja closing on him in the chest, their bodies instantly fried.

As Frog slowly knelt on the ground he held up his hand to stop Owl from coming near him. "Go... now..." Owl could tell by the laboured breathing that Frog was near death. "I'll... buy you... some... time." Owl knew what he meant straight away.

Team Hydra was always given dangerous missions. Before Owl joined the team, there was a ritual introduced that acted as an initiation for each new team member. Each member had a seal placed on their body that acted as a detonator. Once activated it would turn the body of the person it was placed on into a bomb. Only the team members who had the seal could activate it, and it was a sign of trust in the team that each held the life of the other in their hands. Each member of Team Hydra would fight to the death with even death being used to complete the mission.

Owl engaged another ninja in combat as Frog slowly stood and used the last of his strength to rush into the group of ninja that were in combat with Joker and Rose. Falling back in time with Frog's attack, Joker and Rose dropped several explosive tags on the ground in front of the enemy. Wasting no time, Owl cut the ninja he was fighting with across the throat and kicked him in the stomach, the force of the kick launching the body off the battlements to the ground behind the wall. Owl then crouched low as Joker and Rose regrouped with him, and as Frog engaged the enemy Owl performed a small, unique set of hand signs. The resulting explosion, coupled with the explosive tags, killed the group of ninja that Frog attacked, his body incinerated by the blast, and left a crater in the top of the wall.

The brief pause in the fighting seemed to stretch on forever as smoke from the explosion slowly dissipated. Then the fighting started again as Owl, Joker and Rose finally made it to the centre of the wall. Owl could feel exhaustion creeping up on him, and no doubt the same was happening to Joker and Rose. Each sported cuts and burns while twenty-two enemy ninja lay dead along the right-hand expanse of the wall.

'_Well that's objective one complete. Now to make it inside.'_ Stealing a quick glance at the cave entrance, Owl noticed no ninja exiting the cave. _'Either that's all of them, or Hinata has her hands full.'_ A brief wave of despair washed over Owl. He knew his team's chances of making if off the wall were slim. They were not going to fail though, not after Frog's sacrifice. Determination fuelling his body, Owl formed up with Joker and Rose, each covering the others back in a triangle formation.

The captain of Team Hydra then spoke low enough that only Joker and Rose could hear him. "Listen up you two. No more stuffing around. We need to make it inside those caves and I'll be damned if these small fries are going to stop me, got it?" Joker and Rose both nodded, then the three members of Team Hydra attacked.

* * *

I haven't re-read this chapter like I have with the others, just not up to it, so if there are any errors/mistakes let me know. Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


	8. Chapter 3: Dazed and Confused Part 2

Whew! New chapter is up and I now find myself not wanting to write anything. Fear not though, cause I've got stuff planned out, I've just been in a bit of a rush with some other projects and work so the next chapter might not be up till the end of next week (or the end of this week coming depending on how you order your week). I just hope I can write it as awesome as I want to.

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_'Thinking current tense'_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 3: Dazed and Confused – Part 2

Entering the main hallway, the lights spaced out evenly down the length of the ceiling to provide excellent lighting, Hinata ran until she was in front of the door that led to the holding cells. For a few short breaths she stood there eying the door, Sasuke and Mantis flanking either side of her, both scanning the area for enemies.

The door was like every other door in the hallway. It was plain, its dull surface broken by a simple sign on the door at eye level that read _Holding Cells_. Hinata knew though that the plain exterior hid nightmares that would no doubt scar her deeply if her fears turned out to be real.

Hinata breathed in slowly seeking to steady herself, then breathed out. The motion was only a seconds but felt like a lifetime. Demons of doubt assaulted her, fears reaching out to drag her down as the gravity of the situation she was in attacked her. Then just as quickly Hinata squashed those fears. She was there for a reason, and nothing would stop her from rescuing him.

Grabbing the door handle, Hinata began to open the door when she felt it. Something was wrong. As the door began to open she knew that she was going the wrong way, the feeling in the pit of her stomach pulling her in the opposite direction.

"This is wrong." Hinata released the door handle like it was on fire, stepping back out into the middle of the hallway.

The silence was deafening as she stood there opposite the door that was her destination, her two teammates regarding her, one with shock though his mask hid his face, the other with shock mixed with annoyance. Then the sound of an explosion from the entrance of the hallway, the cries and screams of battle echoing of the walls of the tunnel, broke the silence of the three man team.

"What do you mean this is wrong?" Mantis was the first to speak between the three. "This is our goal, you said so yourself. Once we make it in we head for this door, which leads to the holding cells, and search for our target. Once we find him we're out of here. So how can this be wrong?" Frustration now edged Mantis's voice as he questioned Hinata in a hushed yet angry tone.

Hinata scowled with annoyance at being questioned, yet was more annoyed with herself as she looked at Mantis. These last few months she had grown to be more assertive, more confident. Yet right now she was unsure of how to proceed. _This is wrong_ she said. So what was right?

"Which way?" This time the Uchiha's question broke her train of thought. Looking to the man who had hurt her fiancé so many times, Hinata noticed the look on his face. It wasn't condescending or filled with annoyance. No, Hinata noticed the Uchiha was looking at her as if waiting to be told which to go like she knew their exact destination. That's when she realised she knew exactly where to go.

The question was so simple, yet it cut through all the doubt, honing Hinata's concentration on the small feeling she had when touching the door handle. Like a switch being turned on, the feeling grew stronger and now pointed Hinata in a firm direction. She knew where to go now.

"We're going to the medical facility. Naruto's there." Hinata gestured for Sasuke to lead the way. "Uchiha, if you will?"

"What about the holding cells?" Interrupting, Mantis pointed at the door to the cells. "This is where we're supposed to go. What if we get to the medical facilities and he's not there? That's means we've gone there as well as Owl's team and wasted what little time we have." Hinata watched as Mantis's shoulders slumped slightly. "I want to rescue Naruto as well, however, we won't get a second chance at this. Putting all our eggs in one basket is a huge gamble considering what's at stake."

"He raises a good point." Hinata turned as the Uchiha spoke again while the point Mantis made sunk in. He was right. If she went to the medical facility like Owl's team planned to and Naruto wasn't there, then they would have wasted all that time. And there was no guarantee that they would be able to make it back to the holding cells. It was a huge gamble.

Hinata was torn between the two choices as seconds went by. She could either follow the mission plan or follow her gut, and the more she thought about, the more she knew the right choice to make. She knew though from the feeling in her body that she had to do this. "We're heading for the medical facility. I know it's strange, but I can feel that Naruto is there."

Mantis was shocked. "You can _feel _that Naruto is there? Do you hear yourself!? You want to jeopardise this mission because of a feeling!?"

"Yes. It's strange, but I know this is the right choice. So, if you want to, you can stay here to wait for Owl's team, go to the holding cells by yourself, or you can come with me and be useful. Your choice." Hinata's words were hard as she listed the choices to Mantis.

"Alright, alright, I'll go with you. I was just pointing out the mission objectives." Waving his hands quickly in front of his body, Mantis quickly added in a placating tone. "You know, I'll follow you anywhere if it meant I could help Naruto."

Now Hinata was shocked. She couldn't think of what Naruto had done to illicit the loyalty Mantis was displaying. Then she remembered her other teammate. "What about you Uchiha? Do you have a problem with my feelings?"

Both Hinata and Sasuke stared at each other, the gazes locked for what felt like hours, then Sasuke bowed his head slightly. "I'll go wherever you order me to, Lady Hyuuga." Raising his head, Sasuke looked at Hinata. "Far be it for me to judge someone's decisions based on a feeling during a mission."

Hinata nodded at his words. "I'm glad you're both on board, not that you really get a say in the matter. Now since we've wasted enough time already, let's move. Uchiha, since you know the way." Gesturing down the hallway, Hinata waited til Sasuke darted off, then moved into formation behind him while Mantis brought up the rear.

* * *

Turning another corner, the three ninjas continued running down the long corridor, their footsteps light as a feathers touch as the sound of battle faded in the distance. They had been down three corridors now since they left the main hallway, and Hinata watched the Uchiha carefully, while keeping an eye out for attacks, as a small sliver of doubt brought to question whether her guide knew where he was going.

When they took the left at the end of the main hallway, Hinata had spared a brief glance back at the door to the holding cells. She was committed now. The first corridor they went down was free of people, however the second was not. Sliding up along the wall, Hinata waited as the Uchiha did a quick scan of the corridor, then quickly relayed the information.

With him, herself and Mantis, the three of them killed the four member team that was placed there to guard the area easily. Hinata would have preferred to dispose of the bodies, but decided to leave the corpses where they fell to save on time and energy, only taking spare weapons that could be found.

Nearing the end of the corridor they were currently in, Hinata moved up against the wall behind the Uchiha as he moved to the end of the wall to survey the next area, while Mantis tapped Hinata on the right shoulder to let her know he was there, watching back down the corridor for enemies.

Sasuke moved back from the edge of the wall and then turned to Hinata and Mantis. Using the Anbu hand signs that he learned years ago as a communication tool he told them what was ahead. _Four targets. Two ten metres on left, two more five metres further back on right positioned in a small alcove. All dressed as medical staff. All talking. No hostile movement. Haven't spotted us._

Hinata nodded as the Uchiha finished. Silently she activated her Byakugan and scanned the four people in the corridor. Instantly Hinata was able to see that each was a ninja, various weapons and scrolls stashed on each body, however, they were not dressed as such. The medical attire was all they wore. _'Hmmm... so they're definitely medical staff, but they're also ninjas.'_

Byakugan deactivated to conserve energy, Hinata got the attention of Mantis and signed the plan to her teammates. _Uchiha, attack two on the left first. Mantis follows with attack on right. I will move after between both to disable. _Sasuke and Mantis both nodded, then moved into attack formation, Sasuke at front, Mantis behind and Hinata at the back.

Hinata then tapped Mantis's right shoulder, which he repeated with Sasuke, who then flashed around the corner.

Moving quickly Sasuke launched with blinding speed three kunai at the back of the ninja in front of him. As said ninja ducked, two kunai missing while the third cut into the left shoulder blade of the target, the second ninja moved around the first to launch several kunai at Sasuke. Batting aside the barrage with a held kunai, Sasuke moved into the oncoming ninja and swung, metal meeting flesh as the blade of Sasuke's kunai cut into the ninja's throat. Letting go of the kunai that was still lodged in the ninja's neck due tot he attack, Sasuke threw his body backwards as the first ninja launched a kick at his head.

Following Sasuke around the corner, Mantis launched his own barrage of kunai right after Sasuke did, several of the blades impacting with the wall before the small alcove that his targets were in. One kunai managed to hit a ninja, by luck impacting with the left side of the targets head as he moved out of the alcove into the corridor in order to meet the threat. The ninja instantly fell dead to the ground, the other moving over his dead comrade to engage Mantis.

Hinata was the last around the corner and instantly moved into action. Watching the Uchiha and Mantis engage their targets she quickly moved to the space between the two parties and attacked. Mantis ducked under a neck high swing from his attacker, the kunai cutting through the tips of his hair, then stumbled, his balance forcing him backwards. His opponent never got a chance to capitalise on the opening as Hinata used the exposure created by the swing to stab the man in the heart with two pointed fingers.

As the ninja dropped dead to the ground from her _Gentle Fist_ style, Hinata was already spinning on the spot. Sasuke countered another attack, his right forearm deflecting a straight thrust. Stepping back he kicked out with his left leg into his opponents right shin, then used the brief pause to step in for another attack. Moving in, Sasuke started with a right-hand punch then a left uppercut, the first missing while the second snapped the enemy ninja's head back. Then the ninja fell dead to the ground, Hinata retracting her right arm as she scanned the dead ninja one last time then motioned for Sasuke to continue.

With another corridor clear the three ninja continued on. The next corridor was empty but they knew better. On alert, Sasuke lead Hinata and Mantis to the end of the corridor, then, as he had done every time before, he peered quickly around the corner.

One man was walking away from Sasuke, the movement of the right arm and sound of scribbling showing that the man busy writing something on a clipboard. For several more seconds the man continued down the corridor at a leisurely pace, the battle outside obviously not concerning the man, either because he knew attacking the base was pointless or that whoever was attacking would no doubt leave him alone.

Sasuke stepped out into the hallway keeping to the left side as the man disappeared around the right-hand corner at the end of the corridor. As he slowly moved several metres, his eyes fixed on the last position of the man, Hinata then appeared on the right side of the hallway while Mantis stayed back several metres back from her. She only made it another metre though when Sasuke held up a hand to stop, then signed another message. _This is the target._

* * *

They were in the medical facility! Hope and fear flared in her mind as Hinata realised how close she was now. And just as quickly it was gone. She needed to remain calm because it wouldn't help if she became a mess now.

Hinata relayed her orders quickly to the Uchiha. _You lead. Stay to right. Check doors on your side as I check my side._ Hinata then turned to Mantis. _Stay behind me. Cover hallway._ Turning back to the Uchiha, Hinata nodded and moved up to the first door on the left while Sasuke repeated the motion on the right.

The corridor had seven doors along it walls. Sasuke opened and closed one door, satisfied the room beyond was empty, then moved on to the second of four doors. Hinata moved to the first of three on her side. The door was plain timber painted white, a small bevel running around the edge of it. It the centre of the door at eye level was a simple plaque. A lone number was engraved on it – a two.

Fear and anxiety mixed with nervousness as Hinata grabbed the door handle, then determination forced her to open it.

The room was dark except for the large window that was illuminated by the room on the other side. Hinata moved cautiously up to it, ignoring the idea to turn on the light incase it showed through to the other room. Inside the room was a table covered in blood, several mounds of differing organs scattered about on the wall and ceiling. Whatever it was had exploded Hinata realised. No-one else was in the room so Hinata retreated out of the room, closed the door and moved to the next one as Mantis followed closely behind. Sasuke was moving onto the third door when he spotted Hinata opposite him. She could see by his eyes that he had found nothing good. Whatever was happening here the Uchiha knew nothing about, or he chose to not know about at the time.

The second door was ahead of her now and not wanting to risk an attack Hinata stayed to the side of the door as she tested the door knob. She retracted her hand immediately as she felt a weird sensation run through her finger tips. The feeling was comforting though and Hinata instantly knew this was it. A quick signal to the Uchiha had him on the other side of the door looking at her for instructions as Mantis took up position behind her.

_This is the one_ Hinata signed. Sasuke nodded, a kunai already in hand, while Mantis stepped back and drew several shuriken. The door was unlocked. Turning the handle the door slowly crept open to reveal a room that was dimly lit. _I'll go first. You cover with Mantis. Enter if situation changes._ Hinata nodded to the Uchiha then stepped through the now open doorway. Hinata did not like the idea of entering the room alone but knew she had to. Plus, she thought, if anything happens the Uchiha would move in as backup. Hinata still didn't trust him but knew she had to if she wanted even a miniscule chance of rescuing Naruto.

Naruto. As Hinata stepped through the threshold her hand let go of the door handle, the door itself slowly starting to swing shut. Her life. The battle outside. The men at her command. The traitor turned ally not three feet away. All of it faded away. Her breath caught in her throat. In the small room on one knee, hands in a loose defensive position, was Naruto.

The need to rush to him, to hold him, was overpowering. Their eyes met and Hinata could see a similar reaction playing in Naruto's eyes. Her body started to heat up. She wanted to kiss him, and though she was ashamed of it given the situation, she wanted to _be_ with him.

Fighting back the feeling, Hinata noted that he looked exhausted if the heavy breathing was any indication. He was dressed in a white overcoat and slightly short pants, seals visible on his body where the clothing did not cover. The look in his eyes was the most worrying though. He had the look of someone dazed and confused. Whatever was done to him had surely messed him up.

"Hina...chan?" The voice that spoke her name was not her Naruto's. It was dry, gravelly, and followed by a harsh cough to clear his throat.

Confusion showed in his eyes, then his head moved from left to right, first in a shaking motion, then in a questioning motion as he scanned the room. Hinata's heart started to break. She could see from his actions that he wasn't sure of where he was.

"Is... is this... a dream?" The look on Naruto's face was almost childlike. The slight tilt of his head to the left. The look of innocence in his eyes. The way he asked the question like he expected her to disappear like she was merely an illusion cast to trap him. Hinata felt like crying at the way he didn't trust what he was seeing. She couldn't though. She had to be strong.

"No, it's not a dream my love." Her words seemed to break some imaginary bond. Naruto's eyes changed immediately as blue locked on white and the situation became apparent. Then he shook his head.

"Sorry Hinata, it seems the drugs I was given are still affecting me more than I thought." Looking up at her, Naruto smiled. "So what's the plan?"

Hinata smiled. "Can you move?"

"If you mean _move enough to escape _then I'm not sure. But I sure as hell ain't hanging around here, so let's go." Naruto pushed himself up from his kneeling position on the ground, wobbled, then steadied himself. They smiled at each other.

"Let's go." Hinata turned around and pulled the door back further so they could exit. They found him she realised quickly. The mission was only half done but she didn't care. Everything would be alright now that they were together again.

'_Don't get ahead of yourself, you've still got a mission to complete you silly girl.'_ She chided herself as the feeling of elation at finding Naruto threatened to overwhelm her.

Watching as Naruto walked out the door into the corridor, Hinata noticed a wave of relief wash over his body. Then he turned his head to the right and froze. Blue eyes turned to ice, and a deep foreboding feeling swept over her. Naruto was looking at Sasuke.

* * *

Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


	9. Chapter 3: Dazed and Confused Part 3

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_'Thinking current tense'_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 3: Dazed and Confused – Part 3

Blue eyes turned to ice as Naruto exited the room that was his prison for the last few days to be met with the man responsible for putting him there. Everything that had happened faded into the background. Here was the man responsible for so much of the hurt in his life. The man who continually betrayed him.

Naruto could feel his rage building. However, instead of the evil of the Kyuubi influencing him with its chakra, his connection still hindered because of the drugs in his system, Naruto could tell that the chakra bubbling to the surface was different. Instead of a mountainous volume of fire spewing from a volcano, this chakra was more like a raging maelstrom on the sea, its harsh winds and rough seas destroying all in its wake. Naruto welcomed it.

His right hand snaked out and grasped Sasuke around the throat. Sasuke offered no resistance. Staring into Sasuke's eyes Naruto noticed several emotions: surprise, anger, shock, and acceptance. None of it mattered. All Naruto could think of was protecting Hinata from the man who set about to destroy all that was precious in his life.

Sasuke watched Naruto critically. Only one emotion danced across his eyes. Rage. Sasuke felt Naruto's grip on his throat flex, the individual digits digging into the skin of his neck. Yet the final blow never came. Sasuke was unsure of what was stopping Naruto, but knew that he could not kill Sasuke. It wasn't in the eyes, yet there was something else holding him back.

Sasuke knew from the moment Naruto stepped through the door that only two scenarios were possible. One, Naruto would welcome him back like a brother. Or two, he would kill him. Yet like so many things about Naruto, he found the unexpected. And Sasuke knew then that he couldn't let Naruto kill him, at least not yet. No, he had to make sure that both Naruto and Hinata returned safely to Konoha.

Bringing up his left hand Sasuke batted aside Naruto's arm then slid back two steps into a defensive stance to wait for the next attack. This movement broke Naruto from his inner struggle. Seeing Sasuke adopt a defensive stance Naruto knew then that a fight was inevitable. Then he launched himself towards the Uchiha, his right hand retracting in preparation for the first punch.

Seeing the two move Hinata slid between them, first stopping Naruto's attack with a strike to the tenketsu point near his wrist. The power of the attack now gone, Hinata's hands blurred as she rested her right hand above Sasuke's heart while her left rested on the right side of Naruto's neck. The three ninja stood perfectly still as the quick actions finally registered.

Naruto was beside himself. Why did Hinata stop him? Didn't she realise who this was!?

"No." The sound of HInata's voice made Naruto refocus on her. He stared right into her Byakugan-enhanced eyes, the power radiating from them dulling slightly as they both looked at each other for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.

"What..."

Hinata interrupted him. "You can't kill him Naruto, at least, not yet."

Naruto watched as Hinata turned side-on to Sasuke, the two exchanging a quick look, then Sasuke returned to a normal stance and bowed slightly to Hinata, his posture indicating subservience. Naruto couldn't believe it. What the hell was happening?

"Hinata, what is going on?" Worry tinged his voice as his eyes met Hinata's again, this time without the Byakugan, and he noticed a small smile on her lips.

Hinata decided to get straight to the point; details could be filled in later when they had the time. "The Uchiha's sworn a blood oath to me to do everything in his power to help me rescue you."

Naruto was shocked. Switching his gaze between Sasuke and Hinata he knew that what was said was true by the looks on their faces. He still needed to make sure he heard correctly.

"A blood oath?"

Hinata nodded. "A blood oath."

"And this isn't another hallucination?"

Before he could stop himself Sasuke scoffed at Naruto's question, the smirk quickly leaving his face as both Naruto and Hinata glared at him.

"This isn't a trick Naruto." Hinata smiled at her fiancé reassuringly. "Now let's get out of here."

"Finally! I was afraid I'd have to remind you three that we're in enemy territory and they're none too pleased we're here." Naruto jumped at Mantis's exasperated comment while Hinata sighed.

"When did you get here!?" Naruto was getting tired of being surprised.

"I've been here the whole time idiot." Mantis walked over to the other three as he matched Naruto's stare from behind his mask.

"That's enough. We've already spent too much time here, so everything else can wait til later." Hinata turned to Sasuke as she handed a soldier pill to Naruto while releasing the blocked tenketsu point in his wrist. "Lead the way Uchiha."

Nodding, Sasuke started off down the hallway back the way they came. Falling in behind Hinata as Mantis brought up the rear, Naruto quickly digested the soldier pill as strength slowly returned to his body.

* * *

Jinzu waited patiently with his team as the three man Konoha team fought its way towards the entrance of the base. The small building his team hid behind offered excellent cover and was situated near enough to the entrance that it was the perfect place to spring a trap. He knew of course that this meant it was easy enough to spot the trap, but was confident that with the continuous fighting the Konoha ninja's would overlook it easily.

Jinzu was in his late twenties, stood at five foot eight inches tall, and possessed a pale complexion and short black hair and eyes. His physique was muscular yet lithe, a combination that allowed Jinzu to excel in taijutsu and water-based ninjutsu because of his strong water element affinity.

Jinzu was a Mist jounin of two years when Pein-sama recruited him for Akatsuki. He was told that because of his ruthlessness and cruel intelligence he was perfect for the organisation and instantly joined the group. Then he met the true leader of the organisation, one Uchiha Madara.

Madara had been impressed with Jinzu's performance on several missions and promoted him quickly. Jinzu was also deeply impressed by the Uchiha. Here was a man who took what he wanted no matter what anyone told him. Here was a man that Jinzu could serve proudly. And Madara let him do whatever he wanted in order to get the mission done.

Jinzu wasn't a sadist or a barbarian, but he wasn't adverse to getting his hands dirty if that meant a successful mission. He was ruthless. This of course meant that certain people found his conduct questionable.

This hadn't bothered him too much as Madara-sama had mainly sent him on solo missions. That had changed though when Madara-sama had promoted him to a senior role. Initially Jinzu had been happy to serve Madara-sama by better by organising security for the Uchiha's personal base.

The promotion meant he was finally being recognised for his excellent skills and intelligence. However, as time passed he noticed that people were starting to question his decisions and behaviour. He moved quickly to silent such views, but it was already too late. His authority was being undermined, so he did the only thing left that he could do. He found several ninja guilty of dissention, and some that were not, and had them punished.

The torture they endured was varied, and at the end of it Jinzu had them lined up in front the rest of the ninja's inhabiting the base. Standing there with all eyes on him, Jinzu then pointed at five random ninja out of those that were tortured and executed them on the spot. They died quietly, staring defiantly into his eyes. The other ninja's that were gathered were also quiet, not one moving to stop him or help their comrades.

At the end of the execution Jinzu ordered the remaining injured ninja's taken to sickbay and for the dead to be disposed of. Everyone moved quickly. Jinzu loved it when a point made was a point understood.

Madara had also commended him on his leadership, but had quietly chided him for so easily killing his own allies. The language that Madara used though was easily deciphered by Jinzu. He could do whatever he wanted, so long as he didn't go overboard. The only thing Jinzu didn't like with his position was that he was forced to lead a four man team.

He had always worked best solo. For some reason whenever he was placed in a team the team either couldn't work with him after several missions, or they all died. Madara-sama had been insistent though, and so he was given a team to lead. To make it worse he wasn't allowed to choose who was to be on his team.

The only person on his team he could tolerate was Todoko. The man was from Suna, a Jounin of excellent skill who used a combination of ninjutsu and genjutsu, did what he was told and kept his opinions to himself.

The second man in his team was Fugutsu Aoshi, and not only was he a medic, a profession that Jinzu believed was for kunoichi only, but he was also from Iwa which meant that Jinzu liked him even less. The third member of his team, the one Jinzu despised the most, was Akera Aiiki, a female jounin also from Iwa. The woman specialised in taijutsu and close combat ninjutsu, a combination Jinzu believed was unsuitable for kunoichi because of their lack of physical strength compared to men.

What made it worse was that the woman had attempted to seduce him, no doubt in an effort to progress higher in rank, and though she was attractive Jinzu dismissed her attempts because she _had _attempted to seduce him. Stupid bitch obviously thought he was some stupid hormone crazed idiot, which immediately made Jinzu dislike her even more

All in all Jinzu hated his team, and for a brief moment considered questioning Madara-sama's decision, but he knew that if Madara-sama wanted him to have this team he had a good reason for it. It didn't mean he had to like it though.

Watching the Konoha ninja still he thought back to his encounter with his master several minutes ago.

Alerted to the attack on the base Jinzu had first wanted to go to the front lines so that he could see first-hand how the enemy had made it through the defences – he didn't want to reply of information from other sources.

Running out of the security room his team gathered around him instantly on his way to the wall. Already he could hear the sounds of battle, and getting closer to the wall he could see the blur of movement from several ninja. However he went no further as he quickly studied the events that were transpiring. He cursed himself inside his head.

The attack was a diversion, a simple one at that, but because of the intensity of it, and the lack of action for the last two weeks, Jinzu had easily fallen for it. Looking along the wall to the right he noticed the movements of several ninja jumping the wall and disposing of the few defenders left there.

Instead of being angry that his security measures were so easily avoided, Jinzu was impressed by the Konoha ninjas. Turning away from the wall he lead his team back towards the entrance of the base. The buildings prevented Jinzu from arriving before the enemy ninja made it to the entrance, but he wasn't too concerned. Jinzu knew that once the enemy made it inside they would be locked in combat by the roaming patrols he had in place, giving his team enough time to attack the enemy from behind.

That was when Madara materialised before him. Stopping abruptly in front of his master Jinzu bowed slightly, his team mimicking the action.

"Jinzu-san, I need you and your team to stay outside and dispose of these ninja's." Madara's voice was calm as the battle continued around them.

"As you command Madara-sama. But what about the others who have entered the base?" Jinzu was anxious about his question but knew he had to ask if he was to defend the base properly.

"Don't worry about them. Your defences will hinder them enough that once they claim their prize their friends out here will be taken care of which means we will have them surrounded and outnumbered."

"As you command Madara-sama." Bowing again Jinzu watched his leader depart then turned back to the battle at hand.

His plan was simple enough, and it was its simplicity that would ensure it success. All he had to do now was wait.

* * *

Whew! That was like pulling teeth :D I honestly thought I would have this done faster, but it wasn't to be. The next chapter should be up faster than this one was, especially since I stopped here cause it seems kind of like the right place to stop (this might change though once I write the next bit). Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


	10. Chapter 4: Joker and the Thief Part 1

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_'Thinking current tense'_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 4: Joker and the Thief – Part 1

The sounds of battle became closer, steel meeting flesh numerous times, as Jinzu and his team waited. The small building, which was the dispatch office, was situated to the left of the base entrance and offered good cover while also giving a good view of the entrance to the subterranean base. Jinzu knew it was the perfect place to be as the leader of the invading ninja's came into view, the man dodging several shuriken only to grab one from the air and throw it back at his attacker.

The ninja was about six foot tall, his body a combination of muscle and flexibility that made him perfect for his role, with an Anbu mask designed to vaguely look like an owl covering his face. Since seeing the man upon the battlements Jinzu had regarded the man with a mixture of contempt and respect.

Here was the man who dared attack the base he was selected to guard. Here was the man who simply batted aside his security measures. This man was responsible for the shame he was currently feeling. And yet Jinzu also found he respected the man for what he was doing. Here was a man that was testing him, and Jinzu was more than willing to accept, and beat, the challenge.

Noting the enemy ninja's position in relation to his teammates Jinzu knew it was time to start. He signalled to Aoshi and Aiiki, both instantly moving to attack while Todoko and he prepared for the next part.

Aiiki and Aoshi ran side by side from the cover of the dispatch office towards their target, the sun still directly above as the three enemy ninja's traded blows with the remaining guards. Timing was everything. Aoshi slowed to allow Aiiki to gain ground, his position now behind her as he quickly ran through several hand signs.

Aiiki pulled out three kunai from a leg holster as she moved to the left in a curving motion behind the owl-masked ninja. Seeing the ninja finally spot her, Aiiki threw the kunai at him as a distraction while she closed the distance to attack hand-to hand.

The owl-masked ninja batted away the three kunai while readjusting his position to meet the new threat. Preparing for close-quarters combat, that was when he noticed the second ninja that used the first as cover now attacking him from behind to the left.

Aoshi moved out from behind Aiiki as she threw the kunai, the attack distracting the owl-masked ninja as he moved to the right. Seeing the target deflect the kunai easily, Aoshi smirked. Hand signs finished he leapt in the air several feet in a forward motion as the enemy ninja now turned to face him. From his position Aoshi knew he couldn't do much. His attack, while effective from the air, really only worked on less experienced targets. He knew this one wasn't, but then again he wasn't meant to succeed.

Jinzu watched his two teammates follow his plan perfectly, and even though he didn't like them very much he had to admit they knew how to follow orders. Now he had to wait for the right moment.

As Aoshi attacked from the air, Jinzu watched the owl-masked ninja turn quickly to meet the new attack while dismissing Aiiki as a distraction. Jinzu smirked. _'Wrong move.' _

With weapons ready and hand signs finished Jinzu disappeared in a puff of smoke, Todoko following suit. Reappearing again in another puff of smoke, Jinzu was now swapped with Aiiki while Todoko was swapped with Aoshi.

Now replaced with Aoshi thanks to the substitution jutsu, Todoko threw the shuriken he had readied at the owl-masked ninja, then adopted a defensive posture in case he would be attacked while still in the air.

Jinzu appeared where Aiiki was and watched as the owl-masked ninja, while stunned momentarily by the substitution, now defended against Todoko. Jinzu smirked again as he ran behind the enemy ninja. It was all over now. Watching the ninja start to turn as he realised his mistake, Jinzu flipped the grip on the kunai in his right hand and swung his arm around the side of the owl-masked ninja, the blade tearing through the Anbu vest into the area above his heart.

The enemy ninja reeled back, the momentum and impact of the attack being used to soften the blow. Jinzu didn't wait. Pushing his advantage he sped through several hand signs, his mind soaking in the moment of glory.

The plan had worked! Aiiki and Aoshi attacked as a distraction while he and Todoko prepared for the second attack. Then once in position, he and Todoko swapped with Aiiki and Aoshi in order to disorient the target more. Now focused on Todoko all Jinzu had to do was hit the target from behind. So simple, and all the attacker needed to know was the substitution jutsu. One simple academy-grade move.

Watching the owl-masked ninja slump to his knees as his left hand gripped the handle of the kunai imbedded near his heart, Jinzu readied his attack as he finished his hand signs. Then Todoko bumped into him. His attack interrupted Jinzu caught Todoko and pushed him away.

"What are you doing you idiot!" Yelling at his teammate Jinzu watched in horror as Todoko continued to fall to the ground, the impact with the earth revealing the kunai sticking out of the man's forehead.

"What the hell!?" Shocked, movement caused Jinzu to turn towards the dispatch office where two ninja's were standing over the bodies of Aiiki and Aoshi, their masked faces focused on him.

"Nice plan. Too bad you gloated too early." The deep ragged voice along with the firm hand on his left shoulder kept Jinzu firmly in place as cold steel erupted from his chest. Eyes wide in shock Jinzu looked down to see the kunai he stabbed into the owl-masked ninja now sticking out of his chest, blood soaking the front of his jounin vest.

The strength in his body disappeared and with a sudden jerk the owl-masked ninja withdrew his hand and kunai from Jinzu's chest. With no support Jinzu fell to his knees, his last sight being the two enemy ninjas responsible for killing Aiiki and Aoshi rushing towards him, then his body tipped to the left to lay on the ground.

Slowly his eyes closed as the sounds of battle became silence, the beat of his heart loud in his ears as it counted down to his death. Jinzu knew then that he had been right to hate his team.

* * *

Owl let the bloodied kunai in his right hand fall to the earth as he dropped to his knees, Joker and Rose now rushing over to him. Watching the enemy ninja fall to the ground dead Owl couldn't help but respect the man a little.

The plan to attack him had been simple yet ingenious. And it all relied on a substitution. Yet he had made such a simple mistake right after his plan succeeded. He turned his back on an enemy that wasn't dead and Owl made him pay for that mistake.

Owl fell forward on his knees towards the ground, his arms holding him up. Joker and Rose said something near him, then to him, but he didn't understand it. Probing his chest wound with his right hand Owl could feel the pulsing artery pumping blood. He was dying.

Instead of shock Owl felt a sense of peace settle over him that made him feel oddly detached from the immediacy of the situation around him. If there was time he could get patched up and survive. Owl knew though that there was no time for such work. The thought did not fill him with dread or regret. He found that he simply accepted it.

"Are you still with us Owl!?" The voice of Rose was distorted and hard to comprehend over the constant sound of the roaring winds. Even harder was the act of responding. Pulling his mask from his face Owl coughed harshly, blood spraying upon the ground beneath him, then he turned his head towards Rose.

Rose was several feet to the left of him while Joker was several feet to the left of her. Their position enabled them both to cover Owl for the time being while still maintaining a clear path to the base entrance behind them. Watching them Owl noticed Rose glance back at him then turn towards Joker who also quickly glanced at him.

Joker nodded at Rose, receiving a nod in confirmation, then moved forward while quickly lifting his mask and swallowing a pill. Several ninja remained from the initial defence force, and while the number was smaller than earlier, some twelve ninja's left, it was more than enough to finish the three of them Joker realised. He wasn't stupid enough to attack them all, he just needed to buy Rose some time to check on Owl. Readying several kunai wrapped with explosive seals Joker ran towards the first group of enemies.

Rose knelt down beside Owl, several explosions rocking the area, then helped him lay on his back on the blood splattered ground. Blood was still pumping from his chest wound, but now that he was lying down it wasn't as fast. "Can you hear me Owl?" Grabbing his right hand Rose squeezed it.

"I...can..." Coughing again Owl turned his head towards Rose. The jumbled orchestra of sound that had deafened him before was gone allowing him to focus on the situation at hand. "Where's Joker?"

"He's buying us these few moments. Here, I'll help you to the entrance." Helping Owl raise himself to a seated position, Rose then placed Owl's right arm over her shoulders, her left arm snaking around his back to support him.

Owl nodded at her suggestion. He already knew what needed to be done, as Rose no doubt did, with his help in the current situation being better utilised at the base entrance. Struggling to stand he coughed more blood as the pain flowed through him from the movement. He felt feeble, his body betraying him, while his mind was strangely focused, every one of his senses sharper than ever as death neared. The colours of his surroundings were crisp, the sound of battle deafening, the smell and taste of blood overwhelming. Only the hold Rose had on him brought him comfort as he became acutely aware of the shape of her body as she lead him to their new position.

The base entrance seemed bigger than ever as Rose helped Owl to kneel to the left hand side of it. Untangled from each other Rose was instantly beside Joker as he rejoined them. Blocking some shuriken Rose completed several hand signs then placed her fingers near her mouth, the resulting fireball scattering the three enemy ninja's that had closed on them.

Joker, anticipating Rose's attack, threw shuriken at two of the three ninja that leapt to avoid her fireball, one dying and the other taking an injury, while Rose quickly digested a soldier pill. Moving back towards the entrance again they both stole another glance at Owl as he retched more blood and vomit on the ground at his feet.

"I'm... not done... yet... guys." Owl wiped away the blood and vomit running down his chin. Joker and Rose both knew what he meant. Turning back to the advancing enemy ninja they both prepared for the next wave of attacks.

* * *

The crackle of the encrypted short wave radio each member of Team Hydra had broke the chaos of the battle taking place. Roused from the malaise that his wounds had caused, Owl struggled to listen to the incoming message as Joker and Rose repelled the enemy.

For the last minute the enemy ninja had kept their distance mainly to avoid any close quarters attacks while hoping to force Team Hydra to waste energy responding to their long distance attacks. Projectiles, both steel and jutsu, filled the air as the defenders attempted to wear down Joker and Rose, both sporting several cuts that continued to seep blood.

Owl coughed more blood onto the ground as a voice punctuated the air from the radio. "Hydra, we have the target. Repeat. We have the target. We are currently on route to the entrance. E.T.A one minute." Though slightly garbled Owl instantly recognised Hinata's voice. Relief briefly washed over him at the news they found the target. At least the mission wasn't a failure, yet.

Reaching for the radio attached to his belt, the ear/mouthpiece discarded when he removed his mask, Owl fumbled with the device as the blood on his hands made it difficult to grip it.

"Respond Hydra. We have the target and will be exiting the base in fourty seconds." Hinata's voice once again rang out from the three separate radios, worry tinging her voice as she waited for a response.

Struggling to grip the radio Owl growled in frustration. _'Dammit all!' _Owl coughed again, the blood forgotten as fresh agony racked his body. _'Not much time left._' The thought only served to highlight his teammate's plight while he remained useless on the ground.

"Joker, Rose... can one of you... tell Hinata... what's happening?" Falling to his arms on the ground again in pain Owl barely heard Joker respond to his request.

The sound of footsteps alerted Owl that Joker and Rose were now on either side of him, both down to their last kunai as several of the enemy ninja started to come in closer. He could hear their ragged breathing, but more importantly he could hear several footsteps from inside the base.

"They're... here." Rising slowly from the ground Owl's body shuddered with the effort while Joker and Rose stayed on alert for the next attack. Coughing one last time, blood spraying the air, Owl limped forward a step as he pulled several explosive tags from a pouch on his belt.

He knew what needed to be done. It was the only conclusion once he was injured and every effort since then had been a struggle by him and his team to get to this point, this one moment when he could provide the best opportunity for escape.

Staring ahead at the approaching ninja every detail of them was clear in the midday sun, from the clothing they wore to the grime on their faces. Owl's face was set. Without turning he spoke. "Joker, you're the captain of Team Hydra now." Owl took another step forward. "It was an honour knowing you both."

Summoning the last of his chakra Owl willed his body to do this one last final act as he leapt away from Joker and Rose. Every muscle screamed at him to stop, and every step was agonising. The speed he exhibited shocked the enemy ninja's, each no doubt thinking the wounded invader was done. Closing on several ninja's before they could react, Owl felt the seal activate as he came face to face with the nearest ninja. Owl held the explosive tags out in front of him as realisation dawned on the defenders face. He smirked. "Boom."

* * *

I was going to have this be part of the last chapter, but now that I've finished it it just feels right for it to be its own chapter. No promises on the next chapter as I have Japanese study to do and PS3 withdrawal symptoms to deal with :D It should be up in a week or so though. Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


	11. Chapter 4: Joker and the Thief Part 2

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_'Thinking current tense'_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 4: Joker and the Thief – Part 2

The sounds of battle were closer now as Sasuke lead Hinata, Naruto and Mantis down the corridor towards the main hallway. Less than a minute ago Hinata had radioed Team Hydra on the encrypted short wave radios each member had and she didn't like the response. Her first message had been met with no answer, which she knew meant one of two things. Either the members of team Hydra were currently engaged in battle, or, they were dead.

Both options filled her with dread. If team Hydra was currently engaged in battle and couldn't respond that meant there were still enough enemies to pose a threat, making escape hard. If team Hydra was dead then escape would be even harder with only the four of them, three combat ready and the other needing protection, to take on any number of enemy ninja still alive plus Uchiha Madara.

Thinking of the psychotic Uchiha filled Hinata with a fear that caused her stomach to tighten. With all the action inside and outside the base not once had Hinata and her team come upon any signs of the Uchiha. Their actions were in direct contrast with the Uchiha's own, and yet the man was nowhere to be seen as if he didn't care that they rescued Naruto. The only conclusion Hinata could come to was that that man was planning something, and it was this thought that caused the seeds of fear and doubt to fester in her mind.

Hinata tried contacting team Hydra again and was glad when someone responded. The news though was less than encouraging. Frog was dead and the three remaining members of team Hydra were currently defending the cave entrance. The situation sounded bad especially since it was Joker who responded, not Owl.

Rounding the final corner to the main hallway, Hinata could hear the light sound of footsteps and breathing. All four of them, Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke and Mantis, were tiring, especially Naruto whose breathing was more laboured.

Up ahead Hinata could see the entrance to the underground base. Three bodies contrasted against the harsh midday sun, two standing while one was bent over on hands and knees. Activating her Byakugan Hinata noticed the body in the middle start to move as her team made its way down the hallway. It was Owl. Now Hinata knew the situation was bad.

Hinata watched Owl slowly stand up, his body shaking from effort, then cough harshly as he spoke to Joker and Rose. The words were indecipherable for Hinata, with distance, position and fatigue hindering her all-seeing eyes. She didn't need her famous eyes though to tell what was happening. Owl was saying goodbye.

The explosion that followed threw rocks and body parts around the area as a light screen of smoke obscured the buildings within the fortress grounds. Still watching the area with her Byakugan Hinata noted the remaining enemy ninja fall back from the open area of the base entrance to the safety of several buildings still mostly intact. They would be safe from attack for a minute or two.

Sasuke was the first to the base entrance, the Uchiha taking up a defensive position next to Joker, while Hinata and Naruto stood behind the two remaining members of team Hydra. Once Mantis was in position to cover Rose, Joker turned to the Hyuuga heiress and her fiancé. Hinata found herself suddenly thinking of the loss of Owl and Frog as she looked at the two remaining members of team Hydra. The emotions were quickly silenced. _'Save the pity and grief for later,'_ the Hyuuga heiress chided herself.

"The retrieval of the target is complete." As Hinata spoke to Joker she couldn't help but notice Naruto flinch at her tone of voice and what was said.

"Good. Team Hydra has eliminated most of the defending ninja's and by the looks of it the rest are retreating to a safe distance to plan something." Joker's voice was gruff, his mask covered face turning to Naruto to give him the once over. "Will the target be needing assistance to move?"

Though the question was asked with a neutral voice, the intonation was clear to Hinata. _Will we be needing to sacrifice more to rescue Naruto?_ Hinata moved between Joker and Naruto before anything happened, her eyes meeting Joker's through the holes in the mask. "Since a lot has happened I will let that go Joker, for now. As for Naruto needing assistance to escape, no he does not, but if he needs a piggy-back ride I'll be sure to keep you in mind."

The next few seconds were tense as Hinata and Joker stared at each other. Hinata was already regretting her words and was about to speak when Rose interrupted. "Now's not the time for that crap Joker. Suck it up and let's get out of here."

Joker deflated slightly. "Right. Sorry about..."

"Forget it," Hinata interrupted him, "Let's just get out of here."

"I'm glad you two finally decided to come back to reality, cause it looks like the enemy's decided to leave us to our own devices." The remark brought all attention to Mantis who was kneeling down beside a standing Sasuke, both men using the left side of the base entrance for cover as they kept watch.

Hinata moved over to the left-hand side of the entrance, Naruto following her as Joker and Rose moved over to the right, taking up position behind Sasuke and Mantis. The smoke from the explosion had now cleared revealing numerous signs of battle. The ground was littered with weapons and bodies, some more intact than others, while several buildings showed signs of structural damage, one collapsing from the destruction caused to two of its outer walls.

All of the destruction caused by the attack on the base could be seen by Hinata courtesy of her Byakugan. What she could not see was the remaining enemy ninja's. _'They were just behind that set of buildings not a moment ago as smoke obscured the area. I kept an eye on them the whole time.'_ Scanning left and right Hinata tried to see if there were any hidden pathways that she could have missed. _'I took my eyes off of them when I spoke to Joker, and now they're gone. They're definitely not that fast, so where did they go?'_

"Did you see any movement?"

None Hinata-san," Mantis shrugged as he turned his body enough to look behind at Hinata from his crouched position, "What about you Uchiha?"

"None, Lady Hyuuga. If they moved I didn't see them."

It was definitely a trap. That's not what worried Hinata though. What worried her was that the remaining enemy ninja had disappeared while not being seen by herself or any of the ninja under her command. If the enemy had a way of disappearing and reappearing then they could be ambushed from anywhere. However, if the enemy possessed this ability why hadn't they used it at the beginning of the battle?

Jumping at the hand grabbing her right hand Hinata turned to face Naruto. "You know we can't stay here forever." The words were so quiet that she could only hear them, while the intensity of his eyes filled her with confidence.

Signalling to Joker and Rose, Hinata waited till the two remaining members of team Hydra crossed the base entrance before she spoke. "We don't know where the enemy has gone, but we can't let this opportunity go now even if it's a trap, which it most likely is."

Taking a breath she looked at each ninja position near her. "Uchiha, you'll lead. Following you will be Mantis, then Naruto with Joker and Rose on either side and I'll bring up the rear." Hinata quickly put up her left-hand to stop both Naruto and Joker from talking. "It's not up for discussion. Now everyone hand over what supplies you have left."

After a minute the ground in front of Hinata was covered with several ninja tools. There wasn't much. '_Twelve kunai, twenty shuriken, four smoke bombs, six explosive tags, four ration bars and some ninja wire. It's not nearly enough.'_ Hinata knew with the formation they were using that Joker and Rose should have more weapons so she divided the ninja tools in front of her into six groups. Standing up from her crouched position she waited as each ninja grabbed their designated supplies.

"Okay, like I said, this is most likely a trap, so stay alert. We're going to head straight from the base entrance to the wall gate. This will put us on open ground making us easy targets. It also means we'll see any attack easier. Any questions?" Hinata watched as each ninja under her command replied in the negative. "Once we're over the wall the explosives will be detonated and we'll run straight to the retreat point. From there the next course of action will be decided."

As she finished detailing the plan Hinata knew she should say something extra, but couldn't think of anything uplifting or inspiring to say like she had heard from many jounin leaders, and read in many books. Instead she moved into formation and waited.

The mission was almost complete she realised, and if everything went right they would sprint all the way back to Konoha without any trouble. That wasn't going to happen though. Signalling the Uchiha to go, Hinata prepared herself.

* * *

Sasuke ran out from the shade of the base entrance at Hinata's signal, the other five ninja falling into formation behind him. The smoke from the explosion caused by Owl was now gone, and because of it everything seemed clearer to the Uchiha.

Burn marks scorched the ground and buildings. Bodies were on the ground in various states of damage; some had kunai and shuriken in them, others were burnt and blackened, and some were missing pieces of their anatomy. However, no matter how many ninja were dead or still lurking around the base ready to attack them, Sasuke thought of only one ninja, one man who had yet to show himself. The fact that he hadn't when his base was being attacked worried Sasuke.

'_Why hasn't Madara attacked us yet?'_ Scanning left and right as he ran past the buildings closest to the base entrance Sasuke strained every sense he had honed over his many years as a ninja, hoping to pick up any indications of an attack before it happened. Sasuke knew though that when it came to Madara it didn't matter how alert you were, the man could come at you from any angle depending on his mood.

The path they had chosen to take to escape the century old fortress was the most direct, and most open to attack. The buildings within the grounds were built so that there was a straight, clear path from the gate in the fortress wall to the underground entrance. It also left the six Konoha ninja wide open to attack while the enemy ninja had plenty of cover on either side.

Pain lanced though Sasuke's right leg as the gate loomed larger over them. He staggered as his leg gave way then righted himself. _'Not now.'_ He only made it several more steps before the pain cause him to fall to his knees on the ground. Sasuke could feel it now. The effects of the recovery the Hokage put him through before this mission were nearly gone. Now the pain was coming back from his previous injuries, and it was worse.

Pushing aside the pain Sasuke slowly rose and turned at the sound of his name to the ninja behind him. A heavy weariness started to cloud his mind making concentration hard. He was being asked a question yet he couldn't understand a word. "What was that?"

Hinata was now in front of him as the other ninja's quickly got into a defensive formation. Sasuke watched her as she grabbed his right arm, the pain from the contact causing him to wince and Hinata to retract her hand at his reaction. He could see realisation dawn in her eyes.

"I asked why you were stopping Uchiha, but by the looks of it I can see why," The tone of her voice was condescending, "Do you need help or do I have to leave you behind?" The question jabbed a Sasuke's pride causing a rush of relief that pushed aside the pain ebbing throughout his body. He was an Uchiha and he wasn't going to fail, not now when success was close.

"I'm fine." Sasuke turned back towards the gate before anymore was said. He had seen the look in Naruto's eyes as Hinata questioned him and could see that the blonde was curious about what was happening.

"Tut tut tut little Hyuuga-san. Don't you know never to attack an Uchiha's pride?" The sound of a man's voice caused Sasuke to turn around, the Konoha ninja present all adopting a defensive stance in case of attack.

Standing ten metres behind them in the centre of the thoroughfare connecting the gate to the base entrance was Uchiha Madara. The man was clothed in the standard Akatsuki cloak of black with red clouds, the clothes he wore and weapons he carried hidden behind the material, while an orange spiral-shaped mask with a hole in the centre of the spiral for his right eye covered his face.

For a split second everyone was still and then a flurry of movement saw Joker, Rose and Mantis position themselves in front of Hinata and Naruto, their bodies forming a wall between the immortal Uchiha and his prize.

"Now now boys and girls, there's no need for such hostility." Madara raised his arms in front of himself, shaking them to indicate he didn't want to fight. Even with his playful voice and non-threatening movements the Konoha ninja remained tense. "I'm just here to reclaim what's mine, so why don't you just hand over the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and I'll let the rest of you leave. I'll even forget that you've killed most of my ninja and destroyed quite a bit of my property."

Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke moved past Hinata and Naruto to stand beside Mantis as he kept watch on Madara. "Ne, Sasuke, why don't you tell your fellow ninja that I mean what I say. I really will let you all go if you leave behind the Jinchuuriki."

Sasuke smirked as he regarded the former leader of the Uchiha. He had never trusted the man implicitly, and while he couldn't always read what Madara was intending to do he knew what the immortal was saying was a lie. Sasuke could tell no-one else believed the man, however, that wouldn't stop him from enjoying this brief moment as he denied the maniac's request.

"Sorry Madara, but a genin could tell you're full of crap." Though he couldn't see his face Sasuke knew Madara was not pleased with his response. Sasuke then glanced over his right shoulder at Hinata and Naruto. "Get the_ dobe_ out of here Lady Hyuuga."

"What was that_ teme_!?"

Placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder as he growled at Sasuke's remark, Hinata regarded the Uchiha coolly as he walked between Joker and Rose to stand between Madara and themselves. "Remember your oath Uchiha."

Nodding at her words Sasuke readied himself. The pain of his injuries was weakening his concentration, exhaustion slowing his movements. He knew though that he had to do this, if for no other reason than he was the best suited to hold off Madara while the others escaped. That would be it though as fighting the immortal was pointless in his current state.

Madara sighed. "Oh well, I did give you a chance."

Watching Madara carefully Sasuke heard each ninja behind take off over the fortress wall into the forest beyond. He had promised that he would give his life to ensure Naruto was rescued. Now he would fulfil that oath and in doing so begin to earn back what pride and dignity he had lost in his quest for vengeance. Moving into the basic fighting stance of the Uchiha, Sasuke waited for the last Anbu, Joker, to leave.

"Sorry Uchiha, but I'm not leaving," Sasuke turned to the man beside him to see Joker also in a basic fighting stance, "I figured you might need a hand seeing as how you can barely stand." The insult was not lost on Sasuke, who despite himself smirked at the Anbu's comment. "Now how about we finish this up quickly so I can get back for dinner."

Laughing loudly Madara stared straight and Sasuke and Joker, his voice dripping with venom. "You were right not to hand over Naruto because I would have killed you all. However the result is unchanged. After I kill you two I'll simply hunt down the others and retrieve my prize. All you've accomplished is to delay me a few minutes and ensure you own deaths. How does that sound?"

Sasuke flipped a kunai around in his hand so that the grip was reversed. He couldn't help but agree with his ancestor's comments. Unfortunately he couldn't think of a witty comeback given his current situation. Joker however had no such problem. "Well then, let's make it a few interesting minutes shall we?"

* * *

Another chapter done, and as you can no doubt guess things are coming to a close (I'm just hoping it comes sounds right :D) Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


	12. Chapter 4: Joker and the Thief Part 3

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_'Thinking current tense'_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

Wow, that took a long time. Sorry for the very, very late update everyone. I have not been in the mood to write anything for ages, and even now it's a bit difficult. Even this chapter has gone through many revisions, one being today, and while the way this has played out was not my original intention for the story, it is close to the direction I wanted it to go in. I probably shouldn't of posted this up til I had everything sorted, but I was excited about finally getting the chapter done that I made that mistake. Sorry. It is what I can make work, and I'm pleased with it, so I hope it's a good read.

* * *

Chapter 4: Joker and the Thief – Part 3

Seconds stretched on for an eternity as Madara regarded the two ninja in front of him. He had initially thought of quickly destroying them to further demoralise the other four ninja as they ran off in the direction of Konoha. He had smirked behind his mask as he imagined the blood raining down on the four little rats as they tried to flee, the rain turning everything red as they panicked at the horror of what he did.

That plan went out the window though as he heard the one named Joker make his witty little remark._ 'Let's make it a few interesting minutes shall we?'_ Now, instead of killing them all quickly in a brutal show of power, he would draw it out as proper vengeance for what they had done to him. And he was going to enjoy it. First he would kill Joker for his smart remark that made it seem like he actually stood a chance against the Uchiha. Showing him his own heart as it beat outside his body would be Madara's reply to that.

Then he would pick apart Sasuke, literally, for his insolence. Madara had had such high hopes for the young Uchiha, and after all he had done for Sasuke the little shit had the audacity to leave, taking all Madara had given him with him. No, that would not do, and instead of slowly hunting down the youngest Uchiha like a predator stalking its quarry, making it feel fear at every turn, Madara was going to finish him now in the most degrading, humiliating way he could think of. He would tear Sasuke apart outside, then replay the action a million times in the young Uchiha's mind before allowing him to die.

Then, once those two were out of the way he would run down the other four that left, killing the two Anbu as quickly as possible, while making as much mess as possible. Though not his intended target, he wanted them to scream for the way they and their teams infiltrated and destroyed his fortress. For the way in which they easily killed so many of his ninja that he invested a good deal of time and effort into gathering and training.

That would leave only the Jinchuuriki, and the Hyuuga who rescued him. Madara was really going to enjoy breaking those two. All the more so because of the love they had for the other. And he was going to use that to exact as much revenge as possible for the trouble the two had caused. The Hyuuga would suffer because it was her that led the mission to rescue Naruto, and subsequently, was responsible for the destruction of his base and the death of his ninja occupying it.

Then as he slowly destroyed the Hyuuga in the most humiliating ways he could think of, Madara would make Naruto watch as punishment not only for the ways in which he interfered with the immortal Uchiha's plans over the years, but also for the way the young Namikaze's parents meddled with his plans while they were alive. It was the only fit punishment Madara could think of, and one that would serve the dual purpose of weakening the Jinchuuriki's will enough to allow him to easily extract the Kyuubi form its host body.

But before all that, Madara was going to have some fun with the two in front of him. Afterall, it wasn't like he was insane with power. He could very easily let them go and accomplish his goal, but why do that when they just wouldn't stop messing with his plans. Keeping his face as calm as possible, though no-one could see it behind his mask, Madara slowly began to reach up with his right hand towards his mask. Instantly Joker and Sasuke tensed their bodies, preparing for whatever attack came their way. Now Madara smirked. Watching the two of them for any sudden movements, Madara's right hand finally reached his mask, and gripping it casually he began to slowly lift the spiral-pattern mask in an upwards direction. Madara's lone visible eye danced with glee as he watched both Joker's and Sasuke's faces pale at the implication of what the immortal Uchiha was doing.

Then just as quickly the mask was back in place and Madara was shaking his right-hand index finger in the same way a mother would admonish a child in a patronising way. "Tsk tsk tsk little ninja's. Did you really think I was going to take off my mask?" Madara had to hold back a laugh as he saw both Konoha ninja slightly deflate in relief, but still remain ready. "Afterall, it's not like I'd have to go all-out to finish you two off in your current states." Instantly both Sasuke and Joker were tense again, their eyes lit up with determination as Madara smirked behind his mask. _'Too easy.'_

* * *

Joker had a plan, albeit not a very good one. One of the major problems was that he needed a fully-functioning Sasuke to make it work, and as he glanced to his right he could see the young Uchiha struggling to remain standing. Joker also needed a miracle to occur.

When he decided to stay back and help his ally-turned-traitor-turned-ally hold off his homicidal ancestor, Joker had not been really thinking clearly. All he knew was that he needed to do this in order to give the mission its highest chance of completion. That way the sacrifice of his teammates would not be in vain. This way _his_ sacrifice would not be in vain.

Instantly his course of action came to him. For months after Madara made his presence known during the Kage Summit, teams of ninjas had worked day and night in Konoha in order to unravel his abilities. The two main theories were that Madara's powers were all connected to his Sharingan. His corporeal body, his way of appearing and disappearing, all of it was because of his eyes.

The other theory was that it was a time/space jutsu. In all of Konoha's history only one man had ever used time/space jutsu, that man being Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, and unfortunately there were no records, books or notes to compare Madara's abilities to the Fourth's. So that left many to theorise on how to defeat the ancient Uchiha.

Everyone who had something to do with the study, from those researching to those who just knew it was happening, had some theory on what Madara's abilities were and how to beat them, ranging from the ludicrous to the mundane. It was during a brief lull in missions that the then members of Team Hydra were relaxing in a bar after a particularly difficult mission, and the topic of how to beat Uchiha Madara was brought up.

For a solid hour the most wildest of theories were thrown around the table, as well as alcohol, until at the end of it all Joker made a suggestion that got the most laughs. It wasn't because the theory was outrageous, or stupid, or impossible. Joker's theory got the most laughs at the end of the teams drinking session cause it was the most cowardly, and Team Hydra never did anything the cowardly way.

And now that two members of Team Hydra were dead, Joker was going to trample on their memory further. It made him sick to consider it, but it was the only thing he could think of to possibly ensure the success of the mission. In order to beat Uchiha Madara, Joker was going to be a coward. If the situation wasn't so serious, he'd be laughing his ass off.

"Well, it seems like one of you might actually have a plan." Shocked at the interruption to his thoughts. Joker focused on Madara. Could he tell what Joker what thinking? "Don't read much into it kiddies, I'm just guessing considering how long it's taking to get started. Tell you what, considering the abilities you two have and who has the plan, I suggest that Sasuke attacks close while Joker attacks from mid-range. That will give you two the best shot at being successful, though I doubt either of you stand much of a chance getting within five feet of me" The smug tone of the immortal Uchihas voice confirmed what Joker suspected. Madara was playing with them.

Seeing no other way of doing things, Joker decided to go with the flow. If anything it might be the last thing the old Uchiha suspected. Joker turned to Sasuke. "I think we should follow Gramps' advice here Sasuke. You go in close and I'll provide back up. If you can give me some time I might be able to finish off the old man before he grabs his cane."

A _Hn_ was the stoic Uchiha's only reply as he charged at his ancestor before anymore was said.

"Gramps? Old Man? Are you trying to upset me Joker-_kun_?" Watching the approaching Sasuke start off his attack with a volley of his only shuriken, Madara let them pass through him before throwing a volley of his own shuriken at Sasuke, the younger Uchiha dodging to the right. "I give you some good advice and a fighting chance, and all you can do is insult me? I'm offended Joker-kun." Madara placed his left-hand over his heart and mock fainted to emphasise how hurt he was.

Unable to shy away from a verbal joust, Joker responded while running in an arc around the recovering Sasuke. "I'm so sorry you feel that way Madara. Tell you what, how about you surrender and then we can have a nice chat about our feelings."

"That won't be happening."

"So be it." At those words, the dynamic of the battle shifted. Gone was the easy attitude of the Uchiha ancestor and Joker realised it was now or never. Running further around Madara to the right, Joker watched as Sasuke ran straight in to attack. Throwing a right punch, Sasuke's attack phased through Madara's head, the following left-jab, high right-kick and reverse left-kick doing the same.

As Sasuke stepped back Joker used the brief pause to throw a kunai at Madara, the attack hopefully giving his ally some time. The kunai went through Madara's body near his heart, the force of the throw driving the kunai into the wall of a building ten metres away. Then Madara was on top of Sasuke. "Let me show you how a true Uchiha fights little one."

Keeping his speed the same, Madara went through several attacks that pushed Sasuke back. Two quick punches led into an overhead elbow strike, the force of the strike causing Sasuke to falter in his block, another kunai from Joker, this time aimed at the arm striking at Sasuke doing nothing to break the attack. A knee kick followed, and as Sasuke struck back with a quick kick of his own, Madara caught the appendage in a two-hand grip that was straight away turned into an over-the-shoulder throw that sent Sasuke in the same direction as a kunai that passed through Madara again, this time through the chest.

Flipping in mid-air, Sasuke landed several metres behind Madara, the kunai from Joker missing his head by mere millimetres as he tilted his head slightly. Crouched low, the young Uchiha sped through the hand-seals of his signature fire technique. Fingers placed at his mouth, Sasuke shot a fireball straight at Madara's back, which quickly engulfed him.

As Sasuke finished his technique he quickly rolled to his left as a blur materialised into Madara, his right foot impacting the ground in an axe kick where the young Uchiha just was. Moving to escape his close proximity to Madara, Sasuke was overcome with searing pain throughout his body. Falling to the ground on his knees as the pain robbed his body of function, Sasuke realised too late it wasn't an attack as Madara picked him up and threw him towards Joker.

Watching Sasuke go down from an invisible attack, Joker stopped the preparations for his plan and moved to assist the young Uchiha. However, he was forced to readjust his actions as Madara roughly picked up his young descendant and threw him towards Joker. Taking the opportunity presented, Joker moved around the airborne Sasuke, the young Uchiha landing roughly on his right side, and unleashed an attack at the older Uchiha, hoping to catch him off-guard. Throwing the last of his kunai and shuriken, Joker placed his hands together and now a thousand kunai and shuriken were speeding towards his target in a wide arc.

* * *

Moving through the trees in the direction of Konoha, Mantis and Rose came to a stop on two branches as they tried to form a brief defensive perimeter around Hinata and Naruto, the latter hunched over on another branch, as the need to vomit overcame him.

Regaining himself, he briefly looked up at Hinata, her face etched with concern for only a second before it hardened again. Naruto would of found this shocking if he wasn't used to it by now. He had seen the same thing happen with many ninjas, and though it shocked him at first when Hinata did it, after several missions with her he was used to it. Standing back up, he nodded to her once, and they were off again through the trees.

Due to his state, Naruto had his right arm wrapped around Hinata's shoulders as she held him up. This made it easy to talk to her, though after several seconds he found that he could think of nothing appropriate to say in the situation, unless it was to do with their escape. Trying to concentrate on the action of moving through the treetops, Naruto however found himself thinking about their escape, and more specifically about a certain Uchiha, and the interactions between said Uchiha and his fiancé.

Naruto turned his head slightly towards Hinata, hoping that the action would make it harder for anyone else to hear what he was about to ask. "Why Hina?"

Watching her closely through the corner of his eyes, Naruto saw Hinata quickly glance at him also through the corner of her eyes, then refocus on the path ahead. "You know why."

The coldness of her voice shocked Naruto. He could tell that several different emotions ran through her mind as she said that, and he could tell that broaching the subject now was not wise. Yet, he was not about to let the subject slide when he was just as angry and confused about the situation.

Here was the woman he loved, cooperating with the man than caused him so much pain and suffering. He was okay letting it go when they were escaping Madara's compound. Now, however, he needed to know. He was starting to question not only himself, his sanity more specifically, but also the woman he loved and her motivations that lead to now. Was she also someone who would betray him as well? Would she cause him untold amounts of pain?

The thoughts going through his head must have been visible on his face, because Hinata spoke to him once again. "Think about it, baka."

The break in his thoughts caused by her statement, and the feeling of love that was evident in those words, shattered the dark road he was heading down. Re-affirming his love for Hinata, and her love for him, Naruto did what she asked, and thought about the situation. He struggled for several seconds until he placed himself in her shoes to try and better understand her motivation. Then a proverbial light bulb went off in his head.

What would he do if he was in Hinata's shoes and she was the one kidnapped? He would do anything, anything, to get her back. And that's just what she did.

Turning to Hinata again, his emotions were visible enough that a small smile that graced her face was the only confirmation he needed that he was right. He felt like such a fool now for even questioning her. It should have been obvious the moment he thought about it.

Again sensing his train of thought, Hinata interrupted his musing. "Don't worry about it. Let's just focus on getting back home."

Home. He liked the sound of that. Focusing on the situation and pushing aside his traitorous thoughts, Naruto was surprised to find they had stopped. Four blurs shot out of the trees in front of them and materialised into four Anbu.

Rose was the first to speak. "Boy, am I glad to see you guys."

"Where is Kakashi-san going?"

Naruto turned to Hinata as she asked the Anbu squad leader the question. It was a surprise to Rose and Mantis as well considering the quick movement of their heads.

"We were ordered to provide backup so you could complete your mission." The Anbu squad leader responded.

"So, why is he heading back there by himself?" Hinata asked again as she nodded in the direction of Uchiha Madara's base.

"He ordered us to escort you back to Konoha while he deals with something. I asked him to explain, but he was not forthcoming with an explanation. I suggest we move out as quickly as possible. I can take over supporting Naruto, if you like?"

Naruto could feel Hinata tighten her grip on him. "That won't be necessary, let's go". Hinata nodded once to the Anbu leader, and then they were moving through the trees again, the new Anbu squad forming a defensive perimeter around Hinata, Naruto, Rose and Mantis.

* * *

Watching the small amount of kunai and shuriken he threw multiply into a thousand, Joker waited for Madara's next move. Joker wasn't actually planning on such an attack against the elder Uchiha, but when he saw Sasuke's body get thrown in his direction, he knew he only had two choices. One, he catch the younger Uchiha, thus disrupting preparations for his plan, or he dodge the airborne Uchiha and still get distracted from his preparations.

Knowing that such an opening could be a double-edged sword, Joker dodged and turned the distraction into an opening for an attack, hoping to catch Madara off guard.

The attack could of been anything, but Joker knew better. While the ninja's of Konoha might not have known the specifics of Madara's abilities, there was enough to form some hypothesises. If Uchiha Madara did indeed use a time/space jutsu like so many believed, then there had to be an amount of time between uses. Every ninja technique had a short amount of time between uses, whether it was because of the use of hand seals, or because of a recharge of chakra.

Multiplying his thrown kunai and shuriken a thousand fold was his way of hoping to land a hit. Watching Madara stand calmly as the storm of sharp objects neared him, Joker knew right then that he was wrong. He hadn't caught Madara off-guard, Madara had led him to this action.

The rain of kunai and shuriken passed harmlessly through Uchiha Madara and impacted the ground around him, the sounds of metal impacting earth lasting for mere seconds. As silence fall on the battlefield, Joker found himself acutely aware of the laboured breathing of Sasuke, who still laid on the ground several metres from him.

Sasuke was of no use now, Joker knew that. It was just him versus Madara, and the ancestor of the Uchiha clan had him just where he wanted him. Joker was now defenceless, and his miracle plan was a failure.

Readjusting his stance, Joker waited. Madara took one step forward, time seeming to slow for Joker as he watched, and then Madara was right in front of him. Shifting back, Joker lashed out with a series of punches and kicks, each attack phasing through the Uchiha. As one particularly vicious right kick passed through his body, Madara latched onto the appendage and used the jerk in momentum to throw Joker roughly onto the ground beside him.

"I've had enough of playing with you two now. I wanted to see what you could do as it might of amused me, especially since I wanted to crush you two badly. However, after seeing what you were trying to accomplish I don't think I should give you the chance." Madara's voice was soaked with venom as he stalked over to the still prone form of Joker.

Joker, still recovering from the brutal throw, was shocked at Madara's statement. How had he known what he was planning? Surely he couldn't of figured it out already? Turning over on the ground so he could face his assailant, Joker knew the answer. Not only did the older Uchiha have the Sharingan, but he also had many years of experience over Joker. If Joker had lived for as long as the Uchiha had, he no doubt would of figured out most of his weaknesses, and found some way to eliminate them.

Knowing his only option, Joker scrambled to his feet to face Madara. He wasn't going down without a fight, not after all he and his team had sacrificed. If all he did was delay the mad Uchiha from pursuing his target for several seconds, then he would give everything to do that.

"So, you still have enough to fight with. I'll give you credit boy, most just accept defeat. Not many have the audacity to stand up to me when they know they're going to die." Madara's voice was condescending as he looked at Joker. "Now I'm going to make you suffer."

"Give it your best shot, you wrinkled old geezer. I'm surprised you haven't fallen asleep cause I think it's past your nap time." Joker couldn't help himself as he spoke back to his target. After hearing the tone of the Uchiha's voice he knew what he had to say, if only to piss him off more. If anything it might give him a few extra seconds.

Flashing through hand seals, Joker prepared for his last attack when he was interrupted by a body colliding with his. Though it wasn't enough to knock him down, it was enough to stop his attack. That's when he noticed that it wasn't Madara who collided with him. It was Sasuke.

In the second that followed the situation became clear to Joker. Sasuke had moved in front of him just as Madara thrusted his right arm forward to pierce his stomach. The resulting impact from Sasuke moved Joker just out of range of the attack. Now Joker could feel Madara's fingertips on his stomach where the attack would of struck.

"Well Sasuke, you do play possum well, I'll give you that. Though unless I'm mistaken, my arm is now piercing you body, and I can take whatever I want from it." To illustrate his point Madara began to move his arm back through Sasuke's body, brushing it past several organs that cause more pain to the younger Uchiha.

Coughing as blood began to spill from his mouth, Sasuke looked up at his ancestor. "That may be true Madara, but now you can't move." Emphasising his point, Sasuke reached up with both hands and grabbed the arm that was running through his. Grinning like a madman, Sasuke's eyes, blazing with the Sharingan, looked directly into the lone visible eye of older Uchiha.

That's when Madara felt the pull of a time/space jutsu, and moving quickly removed his right arm from his body so he could escape back out of range. As he stopped several metres away, a vortex in the air where he just was continued on for a second longer before disappearing.

Madara knew exactly where the technique originated from. "Hatake Kakashi."

Standing beside the now collapsed Sasuke, Kakashi kept his lone Sharingan eye locked on Madara as he prepared for the next attack.

After several tense seconds Madara sighed. "It looks like I'll have to withdraw for now." Seeing his opponents tense for an attack, Madara spoke again. "Don't take this the wrong way, so I'll give you a reason since you pushed me this far." Pointing to Kakashi, he continued. "Now that you're here, that means my target will no doubt be safely back in Konoha soon. Missing an arm as I am now, finishing you three and catching them will prove difficult without more interference. Looks like I'll have to regroup and try again some other time." Now almost jovial in character, Madara did a one arm shrug before disappearing in a vortex from the battlefield.

Joker and Kakashi waited several seconds before relaxing, slightly.

"Will you need help getting back to Konoha Joker?"

"No, Kakashi-san, though it might be a bit slow." Looking down at Sasuke, Joker pointed to him. "What about the Uchiha?" Both noticed that Sasuke had passed out with the right arm of Madara still in him.

"He's still alive, so we take him back with us. I'll carry him, you follow." Picking up the unconscious Sasuke, careful not to provoke his injuries further, Kakashi turned to Joker. "Though Madara says he's withdrawing for now, I suggest we hurry as fast as we can back to Konoha. He can still attack us at any time." Nodding his agreement, Joker followed Kakashi into the trees as both raced back as fast as they could incase they were right in distrusting the immortal Uchiha.

* * *

Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


	13. Chapter 5: Epilgoue

Welcome to the epilogue of this story. A big thank you to all the people who have taken the time to post reviews and offer advice and criticism. It's been good to get the feedback. So much so that I've decided to go over this story and edit it to remove some errors and make it a better (maybe even easier) read. This story was very much a test for me, and I've enjoyed writing in a way that not only provides a entertaining story, but also challenges the reader's perception (chapter 1 being the prime example). I also want to edit it because I started this story in October 2009, and now that's it's the end of 2010 naturally my style of writing has changed (slightly).

Also of note is that I'm going to be going over some of my other stories and changing, deleting, and even butchering them. I want to do this now as an exercise to critique what I have done previously. This will lead to some stories being reposted after a edit. Hopefully with this I will progress further as a writer, and gain more knowledge in self-editing my work. And then once this is done, I can start a new story (and hopefully start writing a story of my own creation, which I was meant to do throughout the year and still haven't).

"Speaking current tense"

_Thinking current tense_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 5: Epilogue

Looking out in front of him, Naruto was instantly at peace, yet distrusting of the situation. The calm breeze that relaxed his senses, the feeling of the sand beneath his feet, and the tranquil sounds of the ocean all flooded his body, bringing about a yawn that only added to the relaxing effect the surrounding area had on him.

Chiding himself for allowing the environment to affect him like it was, again, Naruto struggled to concentrate his senses. Something was seriously wrong. He couldn't pinpoint what it was though. Moving down the beach towards the water, Naruto carefully strode the distance before reaching the water's edge. Looking down he was mesmerized by the gentle back and forth motion of the water as it encroached upon the sand.

Smiling, Naruto sat down on the sand, his feet stretched out in front of him, and continued to watch the water as it now lapped gently against the soles of his feet. Sighing, he turned his head left and right, and was both pleased and disappointed to find he was the only one on this beach.

_It's a pity there's no-one else around. Maybe I should bring Hina-chan next time?_ Frowning in thought, a shocked expression covered his face as he realised something_. Why would I be here if she wasn't?_ Standing abruptly, Naruto turned on the spot, spreading his senses as far as he could. _There's no-one else here. No-one. And every time I try to focus I get distracted. It's almost like… I'm trapped in a genjustu!_

Bringing his hands together quickly, Naruto was about to dispel the genjutsu on him when something tickled at the edges of his senses stopping his actions. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Naruto made to dispel the technique on him again, only to be stopped once more, this time by a growl.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you boy." Turning around at the deep voice, Naruto saw no-one behind him.

"Who's there?" Naruto was on edge now. A suffocating quiet fell on the beach, and he was vaguely aware of the increased beating of his own heart, the sound rising in volume as he started to panic.

"Calm yourself, boy, I mean you no harm. I only want to talk."

The voice once again came from behind him, and spinning around Naruto found himself alone once again. "Where are you?" Naruto whispered as he stilled all movement to make it easier to hear.

"I've been here the whole time, boy. You've just been ignorant like usual." Turning around one more time, Naruto found himself looking at nothing again. That's when he felt the presence in front of him, and looking down, Naruto was shocked to find a fox, roughly the size of a medium-sized dog, sitting in front of him. There was nothing that unusual about the fox, except that its fur was red in colour, there were nine tails instead of one, and there was what Naruto could only describe as a sneer on its face.

"Kyuubi?"

"The one and only boy." Replied the fox, its eyes locking with Naruto's. "Took you long enough to notice me, though I suppose I can't blame you. After all, the drugs they subjected you to were designed to break our connection and disable the both of us."

"They?"

"Akatsuki, you fool. Well, what is left of them."

Realisation dawned on Naruto's face. "I remember now. They had me drugged heavily, and I couldn't contact you while I was captive." Looking around again, Naruto thought of something that the Kyuubi said. "Is the reason why you stopped me from trying to release a genjutsu because…"

"We're in the seal, yes."

"Wow, I thought it could only be a sewer." Naruto gestured around him. "Why is it like this now?"

"I have a theory, but it's just that, a theory. Sit down boy, so that I don't have to strain my neck to talk to you."

Sitting down in the sand, Naruto asked the next question that was burning in his mind. "Kyuubi, why are you so small."

Smirking at Naruto's question, the nine-tailed fox answered. "The reason I'm this small is because this is only a projection. I'm trapped further down in the seal." Taking his eyes off of Naruto, the Kyuubi looked around the area they were in. "It seems that not only time, but the drugs you were subjected to, have altered the seal slightly, and things are changing as more of my power becomes yours."

Looking back at Naruto, the Kyuubi could see some understanding of the situation cross his vessel's eyes. "My theory is that because of this the projected landscape of the seal has changed. There is still a sewer, but it is hidden below this area. And the only way I can talk to you in here is if I use a projection of myself. The seal restricts my power, so I only appear small."

Naruto was amazed. Sure it was only a theory, but if it were true then what else could change. "That still doesn't answer a lot. Sure, I understand that the seal might change as more of your power becomes mine. After all, that's the way the seal was designed. However, that still leaves out how the drugs I was given could alter the seal, if they indeed altered it at all. And of course, that then begs the question: What other outside influences could potentially affect the seal?"

Staring at the fox for the several seconds, Naruto let out another sigh. "And then of course, the big questions. If the drugs I was given affected the seal this much, then what else has it affected? And for how long will I continue to be affected by its influence?"

"Those are indeed the pertinent questions. That's why I've been struggling for several hours to find a way to communicate with you. Though I'm glad to see I don't have to spell out the seriousness of the situation to you like I would have had to in the past." Smirking at the look on Naruto's face because of the jab at his intelligence, the Kyuubi started to fade from view.

"While I will do my own research in here, I suggest you do same out there. There are after all more resources at your disposal. Who knows? Maybe I'll get my chance at freedom sooner than I thought."

Looking at the place where the demon fox had been, Naruto went over the conversation he just had with the Kyuubi. _Things have definitely changed. Though the changes to the seal have made me stronger, the Kyuubi now has more freedom than before, though it's only a projection. And of course I don't know what else could change as a result of the drugs and the seal being tampered with. This does not look good._

Closing his eyes, Naruto started to go over the problems again when he felt something shift against his body. Moving his head to get a better view, he struggled for several seconds to open his eyes, and when he did he found himself staring up at a white ceiling.

_I know this ceiling_. Moving his head left and right, Naruto found himself to be lying in a bed in Konoha's hospital. "Never thought I'd be happy to see the insides of this hospital again." As he spoke he could feel how dry his throat was, and looking at the bedside table he could see some water in a jug and two glasses. One was already used though.

_That's strange. _Naruto then felt something shift against his body again, and looking down at his body he could see what it was. He had woken up many times to the exact same scene.

Under a veil of midnight blue hair, Hinata, his angel, was laying next to him in his hospital bed, the sheets covering them both, with her head on his chest while the rest of her body was snuggled up against the left side of his body.

Moving slowly so as not to disturb her, Naruto brought his right arm up and moved some stray strands of hair to get a better look at his fiancé. Seeing the contentment in her face as she slept, Naruto smiled. _She must have been worried sick about me._

Feeling Hinata shift again in her sleep, the warm sensation of flesh on flesh peaked Naruto's interest, and grabbing the edge of the sheet covering them, he lifted it just enough to look down at their bodies. What he saw brought a smirk to his lips.

Hinata was wearing nothing bar a bra and some panties. Naruto grinned as he looked down at Hinata's perfect porcelain white skin as she continued to hug him in her sleep. If it wasn't for the fact they were in a hospital, he would have taken her right then. Kami knows he needed something to reaffirm that he was loved. And looking at his sleeping princess, he could tell Hinata needed it too.

That's when he heard the door to his room open and close, and turning towards the new occupant in the room his eyes locked onto the eyes of the woman he came to see as a de-facto grandmother.

"It's good to see you awake Naruto." Smiling for the first time since she saw Hinata bring Naruto back to the village, Tsunade then noticed that Naruto wasn't alone in his bed, and that a pile of clothes were neatly placed on the chair beside the bed.

Sighing, Tsunade moved over to the front of the bed, picking up the medical chart attached to it. "It seems that no matter what I say though, your fiancé here just won't listen to reason." Scribbling a quick note on the chart she then put it back in its place.

"Hey Baa-san. It's good to see you too." Smiling, Naruto looked down at Hinata. "I take it this isn't the first time she's done this."

"No. And no matter how many times I say it, and catch her, she just won't listen to me."

"I see." Naruto gaze followed Tsunade as she picked up the pile of Hinata's clothes on the chair, moved them to the bedside table and then sat down. "How long have I been out?"

"Just over twenty-eight hours. It seems that after the stress of the escape, your body needed some time to rest."

Naruto's face became pensive as he listened to Tsunade. "How much longer will I have to stay in the hospital?"

"I want to keep you in here for the next week. Not only do you need the rest, but Hinata said you were subjected to some kind of drug while held captive. Is this true?"

"Yeah, Baa-san, they had me on some drugs to keep me in check. It messed up my memory and connection with the fox. Actually before you came in, I was …"

Watching Naruto trail off in his thoughts, Tsunade became suspicious of where he was heading while he talked. "Before I came into the room, what were you doing Naruto?"

Naruto turned back to look at Tsunade and could tell he wouldn't be able to distract her after his slip. He had to come clean if he was going to figure this out. "I was talking to the Kyuubi. I was in the seal, but it was strange. The scenery had changed, and the Kyuubi could only talk to me via a projection of itself. It said that time, and the drugs, had possibly changed the way the seal was working, and might be speeding up the transfer of the Kyuubi's powers to myself."

Naruto looked back down at Hinata, while Tsunade tried her best to not to become overly worried about the situation. "The Kyuubi was also a bit weird too Baa-san. It was like it was trying to help me, but it was still a bit hostile. It said that I should do some research out here on the matter, while it tried to figure out what was happening while inside the seal. Then the Kyuubi left while making a threat about escaping. It was… well, weird."

Watching him, Tsunade could see that Naruto was a bit lost. After all, it wasn't like this particular situation occurred every day, so she could see why he was worried. She had to try and calm him a bit. "Well, don't worry about it too much for now brat." Reaching over, Tsunade squeezed his right shoulder while talking. "I want you to rest up. While you get better, I'll run some more tests on the blood sample we took from you. Hopefully there's enough of the drug that Akatsuki gave you left in your system so we can figure out what it might have done to you and the seal." Standing up, Tsunade walked to the door and opened it.

"After you're out of this place, we'll start a more in depth probe into what might be happening. I might even get Yamanaka Inoichi, Ino's dad, to take a look in your head for any clues." Smiling, Tsunade was about to close the door when she stopped and looked back at Naruto.

"You should also know that Sasuke is still alive. However, he's currently in an induced coma after surgery on his wounds." With that said Tsunade closed the door.

Shocked by the last bit of news, Naruto was interrupted from his thoughts when he felt Hinata shift against him again. This time though, he felt her grab his left arm and move it down until it was caressing her right hip.

Looking down at Hinata's face Naruto could see that her left eye was partially open, the pupil-less iris staring right into his eyes. "You heard what Tsunade said, Naruto. Don't worry about it too much for now. Let's just go back to sleep."

Seeing her eye close Naruto smirked. "You were awake the whole time, weren't you?" Getting an affirmative moan in response, Naruto tightened his grip on Hinata, and both of them soon fell asleep in the hospital room.

* * *

Crouched down in front of the Memorial stone, Joker absent-mindedly traced a name carved into the stone with his left-hand index finger. The name he was tracing held no significant importance to him, but it helped him feel connected to something as he thought about the loss of his teammates, Owl and Frog.

The mission had been a success, but no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't shake the feeling he had failed.

"You know they don't put the names of Anbu on there, right?"

"I know." Standing up, Joker turned around to see Rose in her full Anbu gear. "I just needed some time to reflect, and I thought this might be a good place."

"I see." Looking past Joker, Rose studied the Memorial stone while Joker walked over to her. "Are you sure it's wise to be going on a mission so soon after what happened?" Tilting her face back towards Joker, as he now stood two feet from her, Rose tried to read his emotions through the eye holes in his mask.

Sighing, Joker also studied the eyes of his partner. "I'm fine. I just didn't expect to be a captain this quickly."

"Well, technically you aren't a captain until you choose two new members for the team."

Joker smirked behind his mask. "And I didn't expect you to be a bitch about losing two team members this quickly."

"You know that's not what I meant!"

Joker quickly put his hands up in front of him in a placating manner as Rose readied to attack. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

Relaxing, Joker and Rose studied each other for several seconds. Rose was the first to speak as Joker started to walk past her.

"I'm glad to see you're okay though. I heard you got chewed out pretty badly by the Hokage for what you did."

Joker stopped as he remembered what happened when he was debriefed after the mission. "Yeah, I was a bit worried. It turns out Kakashi-sempai recognised right away what I was attempting to do. Add to that the fact I stayed behind to fight a lost battle, and the Hokage was not impressed with my choices. She was actually considering passing on the captaincy role to you, even though Owl said I was captain."

"I see."

"However, after I explained my reasons she accepted the actions I took. Her and Kakashi-sempai then spent the next twenty minutes going over other options I could of taken in the situation until they were satisfied I learnt my lesson."

"Oh? And what lesson did you learn?"

"That I'm an idiot who needs to be spoon-fed mission protocol."

Rose laughed loudly at the jibe, Joker joining in as the mood in the clearing lightened. Smiling behind her mask, Rose tried to look stern as she corrected Joker.

"You know that's not what they meant."

"Oh, I know. I just thought it was funny."

"Well, now that the Hokage has sorted you out, it's my turn."

Joker didn't like the way this was going after hearing Rose's voice. "Your turn for what?"

"To pound some sense into you ofcourse." Walking away from Joker, Rose turned around after several steps with an evil glare in her eyes. "After this mission, you and I are going to have a nice little training session." And with that said Rose shunshined out of the clearing.

Joker groaned as he stared at the spot where his teammate just shunshined away. _Great. Just my luck. You'd think she'd be glad I was alive. Instead she wants to beat me up. _Placing his hands together, Joker followed Rose by teleporting out of the clearing.

* * *

Uchiha Madara sat behind the desk, his arms resting on the hard wood, fingers interlaced beneath his chin, as he went over the chain of events again in his mind.

Everything had gone accordingly up to the capture of Namikaze Naruto. From there little unplanned instances occurred. First, he lost Sasuke. Then the drugs given to Naruto didn't work correctly. Then a rescue party attacked his base. And then they escaped with Naruto.

The last one Madara knew was his fault though. _If only I didn't mess around with them._

The immortal Uchiha had planned for a rescue attempt. He knew what to do in the situation. However, he had played with his food, and when it came time to eat, he let it go. The result? The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was back in Konoha.

_Now I'll have to push back my plans a bit further_. Casting his gaze at the map on the wall opposite him, Madara started to formulate his new course of action. Things had gone wrong, but not so wrong that they couldn't be fixed.

The young Namikaze was back in Konoha_. It's not like I can't walk in there and take whatever I want whenever I want._ His primary base was destroyed. _I have several more that should serve well. _He had lost some important pawns. _There's plenty more once given the opportunity._

Madara smirked. He had been delayed for the time being, but his plan would succeed in the end. And it would succeed because of one thing.

Sasuke was back in Konoha.

* * *

Oooooh... cliffhanger, maybe? :) Sorry, but for the time being there is no answer. This is how I wanted to end the story. I won't explain too much, but I will say that the Kyuubi isn't exactly cooperating with Naruto. It (I'm not giving it a gender) still wants to escape, but it also realises that something has changed with the seal, and before it can attempt an escape it needs to know what has happened. Hence why it also tells Naruto to look into it. If Naruto learns something new, the Kyuubi does as well, however, there's nothing to say the Kyuubi will be as forthcoming with information. I also hope that I haven't portrayed Madara too badly. What I mean is that after reading through the story again, I think he comes off a being a bit too schizo, but I believe that after living for as long as he has, he would be a bit crazy, but also have a crazy intelligence that would allow for him to modify his plans for any situation, even if it means pushing back his plans a bit to still succeed. So I hope that explains why he goes from cold and calculating, to random.

Also, with the edit I'm going to do, I'm going to better define this story and it's parameters in relation to standard canon. Lately there have been some major changes to the Naruto manga, and I feel that better defining a timeline for this story might make it easier to read (ofcourse, this is fanfic so I can just say it is the way it is cause I want it to be, but I'm not going to do that, yet :D)

Keep an eye out for the update. Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


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